The Weight of the World
by bobrollin
Summary: *FINISHED* After the events at the end of the fourth year, Harry has to deal with the weight that is about to fall on his shoulders and the secrets that he discovers.
1. Back at Privet Drive

Chapter 1 Back at Privet Drive  
  
The Dursley's knew that something was different about Harry the second he came home. Vernon would never admit it, but he could tell that something both powerful and possibly evil radiated from the boy the second that he got into the car to head back to Surrey from the King's Cross parking lot. The entire drive back not a word was said from anyone and it wasn't until they pulled into the front of their #4 Privet Drive home, did the silence break. Vernon was at the back of the car pulling Harry's trunk out of the rear of his car when he asked for Harry to come back and help him.  
  
As Petunia and Dudley walked through the front door, Harry closed the back door of the car and walked back to help his uncle with his school things.  
  
"I got a phone call this morning from your Headmaster, Dumbdoor, or whatever his name is," said Vernon.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore," Harry said immediately correcting him. Harry was surprised that Dumbledore knew how to use a telephone.  
  
"Yes, that's his name is it? Well, he informed me that this summer you had a competition at your school and that you competed in it. He also told me that something went wrong and that.. well, that something bad happened. He said that you and another boy were attacked were you?"  
  
"Something like that," Harry said reluctantly.  
  
"Well what he told me that the other boy was killed and that you had to fight for your life to get back and that you were hurt pretty bad."  
  
"I'll be fine Uncle." Harry didn't really want to go into this with his uncle at all. He wished it would just end here.  
  
"Harry, I know that your school is different, and just because we don't agree with it, or even what you practice there, we still get concerned about you.. from time to time. I know that we have been rough on you, but it has clearly been for your own good. We have enough to deal with, with Dudley and we have always figured you could fend for yourself which is why we treat you different. It doesn't mean that we don't. like you. But we know that you are different from us and we don't understand it, and honestly don't care to. But I do want to tell you that we are concerned after this phone call. It seems that you may need some help that we won't be able to provide."  
  
"What do you mean?" Harry said abruptly. "I don't need a shrink or any kind of head doctor. I know you would love to get me out of the house, but I won't let you take me to some hospital." Vernon immediately put up a finger to stop him.  
  
"We don't want you to go to a doctor Harry now just SHUT UP A MINUTE AND LET ME FINISH!"  
  
Harry stopped and lowered his head and waited for his uncle to finish his speech.  
  
"All I am saying Harry is that I don't, and that Dumble-whatsit"  
  
"DUMBLEDORE!," Harry shouted.  
  
"Dumbledore..sorry. We don't think it would hurt for you to spend the summer back at your school. He thinks that after what happened, it would be better to have some of. your own kind around you so you can talk about things if you need to."  
  
Harry couldn't believe what he had just heard. Either the fact that his Uncle Vernon actually sounded like he was concerned or the fact that he may be allowed to go back to the school for the summer, both were throwing him off. Was his uncle serious?  
  
"Sir, I understand that you are probably worried that the person who attacked me will come after me here."  
  
"What??" Vernon jumped in, but this time it was Harry who stopped him.  
  
"Please Uncle Vernon, will you let me finish this time? I know that you probably feel like your family is in danger, but I can assure you that they can't find me here. I don't know how much the Professor told you, but the wizard who is after me is the same one that killed my parents. He can't find me here though. I heard him say that I am protected here and that I can't be touched and that would include you too."  
  
Vernon stared at Harry for a second to make sure he was finished then started in again. "Harry, its not that we want you gone, although you probably will think that yes.. anyway your Professor thinks that you'll be better off there for the summer that's all. I am sorry that all of this has happened to you. I wasn't sure if there was anything here at home that you needed, but we'll leave day after tomorrow to meet your professor in London."  
  
With that, Vernon Dursley retrieved Harry's trunk from the car and walked inside, leaving Harry outside to think about what he had been told.  
  
Harry was still so numb from the events of the past month that nothing surprised him at this point. Should he feel sad? Happy? Scared? He wasn't sure. Why would Dumbledore not want him to stay here for the summer? Did he think that Voldemort would find a way to get past the charms that were set here?  
  
Harry walked inside to find the Dursley's all sitting at the dining room table. Obviously Vernon had been talking to them, and Harry imagined that it was about him leaving for the summer. He walked past them grabbing Hedwig's cage as he went up the stairs into his small bedroom. He reached under the loose floorboard and made sure that he didn't have anything stashed away that he had forgotten to take with him after the last year. After that he opened the window of his bedroom, sat down at his desk and took out a few pieces of parchment and his quill and ink.  
  
He sat for a moment then began to write.  
  
Ron,  
  
Dumbledore talked to my uncle and said that he thought it best if I stayed at the school over the summer. Maybe I can some and stay with you for a while as well, if it's not too much trouble. I really don't know why Dumbledore wants me to stay there, but when has he been wrong before?  
  
Talk to you soon.  
  
Harry  
  
He then folded the note to Ron and started on the second letter.  
  
Hermione,  
  
I am going back to Hogwarts for the rest of the summer. Dumbledore wants me there for some reason. If you need to write to me, send your owl there.  
  
I'll write when I get there.  
  
Harry  
  
Then, with the last bit of parchment he stated his last letter.  
  
Sirius,  
  
You may already know this, but I will be staying at school for the rest of the summer on Dumbledore's request. I hope you are safe. Write to me as soon as you can so I don't worry as much.  
  
Harry  
  
He then folded up all three and attached them separately to Hedwig. "Sorry for so many girl, but I need to let them all know that we'll be back at school for the summer." She stared at him with a blank look that he couldn't read. "Don't look so glum, you'll get to stay at the owlery and get to hunt whenever you want."  
  
She hooted, quickly nipped his finger, and went out the open window carrying her letters.  
  
That night Harry lay in bed wide awake. It wasn't that he didn't feel exhausted, he did, but he wasn't sure what type of dreams he would have being back at Privet Drive. At Hogwarts he felt safer. He was in his element there, which made him feel more comfortable. It wasn't that he didn't have nightmares about Cedric and Voldemort, but they weren't quite as bad as they used to be, and he was worried that his four-poster at school helped with that and that he wouldn't have that help tonight. He stared at the dark ceiling for what seemed like hours before he couldn't fight the weight of his eye lids any longer, and fell to sleep. 


	2. The Leaky Cauldron and Revelations

Chapter 2 - The Leaky Cauldron and Revelations  
  
His final days at the Dursley's were uneventful. They all left him alone in his room, and didn't acknowledge him when he came down stairs for meals. He would get a helping, take it back to his room, then quietly take his dishes back down later and wash them clean. He didn't even bother to unpack his trunk. There was no need really. He felt as though time was passing at snail pace. He was used to being put to work as soon as he got home for the summer, but since this didn't take place he found himself unusually bored. He didn't have any friends, and he didn't really have any place he could go so he had nothing to do but wait. And this was a bad thing for someone who had more than their share of problems. Even though he knew that Voldemort was the reason Cedric was dead, he still had to take some of the blame for being so noble. He knew that had Cedric had taken the cup by himself he would have probably died anyway, but this didn't make him feel any better. He was also really worried about Sirius. Hell he was even worried about Snape now knowing what he was risking and who he was fighting for.  
  
Harry was expecting the knock on the door from his uncle telling him it was time to go when it came. He had all of his stuff by the door and Vernon grabbed his trunk and carried it down stairs. Harry took one last look at his small bedroom and a glint of sorrow draped across his mind. Was he really going to miss this place? He didn't think so as he smiled and closed the door behind him.  
  
It wasn't until he and his uncle were in London, before the silence between them was broken.  
  
"So, what is this Leaky Cauldron place I am supposed to take you?" his uncle said spitting. "Your professor gave me directions, but I have been to place where he is talking about and I don't remember seeing a place called that."  
  
"Well it's a very small.. umm.. bed and breakfast that wizards sometimes stay in." Harry replied knowing his uncle would have been a bit more spastic had he mentioned it was a pub.  
  
When they got close he and his uncle found a place to park and gathered Harry's things and began to walk towards where the Leaky Cauldron should be.  
  
"See, don't see it anywhere. Probably don't have a sign do they, or is your professor just mistaken?" Dursley commented.  
  
"Just follow me sir, I'll show you were it is." Harry said as he took the lead.  
  
As far as his uncle could tell Harry was walking right at a wall, and it wasn't until Harry opened the door, before his uncle could see what a minute ago wasn't there.  
  
"Where did. I didn't see this sign. It's so dark." He kept mumbling something as Harry reached over and pulled his uncle inside the door.  
  
"Harry! Nice to see ya!" Tom said as he and his uncle walked in.  
  
"Look everyone it's Harry Potter." A small witch said from the corner. Several heads turned and the pub got quiet for a moment as everyone stared at them in the doorway. Then everyone suddenly waived and started shouting hellos and approached them.  
  
"All friends of yours?" his uncle said with a fearful look on his face.  
  
Harry could tell that it took every ounce of energy his uncle had to just stand upright in a place like this. The petrified look on his uncle's face turned to sheer terror as everyone came up and started shaking he and Harry's hands and talking so fast he couldn't understand them. It wasn't until Dumbledore approached them did everyone subside and let them follow him to the private room in the back where he had arranged for them.  
  
"Mr Dursley, I hope you and Harry had a good journey here?" Dumbledore said as he waited for them to take their seats.  
  
"Yes, fine thanks. Should I just leave Harry with you now or do you need me to stick around for a bit longer?" You could tell by the look on his face he was almost praying that Dumbledore would let him go.  
  
"Well, I was thinking we could eat our lunch here and maybe talk a bit. I am very interested in hearing more about you and maybe discussing a few things with Harry."  
  
"Oh." Vernon said with a disappointed look on his face. "Sure that sounds fine I suppose."  
  
They all took their seats and Harry couldn't help but shoot Dumbledore a small grin after looking at how pinned up his uncle seemed in his chair. Dumbledore returned the grin and them immediately called for Tom to get them some drinks.  
  
"Butterbeer?" Vernon said with an appalled look on his face. "Isn't he a bit young to be drinking beer"  
  
Dumbledore smiled at him and replied, "It's not like the beer you drink, not as strong I mean, Harry has had it before I assure you and he remains unaffected by it."  
  
When Tom brought the three mugs to their table Vernon was extremely apprehensive as he picked up his mug and took a small slurpy drink. His eyes immediately opened wide and an unmistakable smile crept onto his face.  
  
"This is.well this is unbelievably good." He said before quickly taking another gulp from his mug.  
  
"I knew you would approve of it." Dumbledore said as he and Harry shared another large smile.  
  
After they all ordered their food, Vernon ordered a dragon burger thinking it was a just a funny name for a regular spicy hamburger, Dumbledore and Vernon began some small talk about the weather and things of that sort while they ate. Vernon however stopped middle sentence when the large hamburger was put in front of his face. The smell of it was so good that he lost his entire train of though. He lost it immediately again when he sank his teeth into the tastiest burger he had ever had. After they all finished their meals Dumbledore shifted the talk to Harry.  
  
"Harry as I told your uncle last week, I think it would be best for you to stay at Hogwarts for the summer. There are some things we can help each other with and there is much to be done otherwise as I am sure you know."  
  
Harry simply nodded, as Vernon looked confused.  
  
Dumbledore shifted to Vernon once again and continued his conversation. "I know you are concerned for your family, but I can assure you they will be safe and you won't be found. There are certain protections that were made many years ago to make sure that your home was safe and watched closely"  
  
"What do you mean watched closely? You don't mean cameras do you?" Vernon replied in a worried sense.  
  
"No I mean magically watched. We can tell if magic is performed there. And I do believer that you know a Mrs. Arabella Figg." Dumbledore said.  
  
"Why yes I do, she keeps Harry from time to time. But what has she got to do with anything?"  
  
"She has been watching Harry more intently than you know. She was sent the day that his parents where killed to make sure he was safe. She is a very powerful witch and has been an attribute in our fight against the Dark Lord."  
  
Harry was letting his mind slip, but he had no problems pulling it back when he had heard about Mrs Figg. "She was a very powerful witch" he thought to himself." They really did make sure he was safe there didn't they.  
  
"Mrs Figg is a witch?" Vernon said wide-eyed.  
  
"I understand that you have reservations towards some of.our kind" Dumbledore said as he gave Harry a small smile. "but I assure you that we are just like you, as you now see with Mrs Figg. You trusted her to keep Harry safe, the same way that we trusted Harry would be safe with you all of these years. You see Mr. Dursley, Voldemort, the very powerful dark wizard, that killed Harry's parents didn't come to their hideout the night they were killed looking for to kill them. He came looking to kill Harry."  
  
Vernon's look of terror reappeared on his face as he slowly glanced at Harry then back to Dumbledore.  
  
"Why would anyone have wanted to kill a baby?" Vernon said.  
  
"Well that answer is very complicated. You see some wizards, and people in general for that matter, think that we make our own choices and that there isn't a so called fate that pre-determines our path. Others, see visions, or go to those who see visions to see what they think is their pre- determined fate. I am sure you have heard of crystal gazers, or psychics that are so called fortune tellers."  
  
"I have. I have never believed in that rubbish, but I know they are there." Vernon added.  
  
"Well, you see Mr. Dursley, there are some true seers out there. They are very rare, but there are people who can see things from time to time whether it be seeing the future, the present of the past, there are those who have true visions in to present and future events and I assure you they are real. In fact there are times when Harry himself can see visions of happenings regarding the doings of Voldemort"  
  
Vernon looked at Harry as though he had three heads but Dumbledore continued nevertheless.  
  
"Well there have been visions that have been passed on over the years through some very powerful and magical families. One of these visions regards a falling out between two of the oldest and wisest wizards of the past. This vision states very simply that one will rise to power; one will try to stop him. These two families have been battling for the last several thousand years. Almost everything good and evil that has been of major importance, has come from these families. Voldemort is a direct descendant of the Slytherin family that has been the cause of some of the greatest evil this world has ever seen. He has been responsible for hundreds of murders, and not just wizards Mr Dursley, people like you as well. And Harry..well he is a direct descendant of the other family. a direct descendant of the family of Gryffindor."  
  
"I'm what??" Harry said with almost a yell.  
  
"You heard me right Harry. You are a descendant of Gryffindor. And as of right now, the only magical descendant left I am afraid."  
  
Harry looked at Dumbledore for a moment then stared down at the table in thought before he looked up again to speak.  
  
"So that explains why he is after me. He thinks that I am the only one that can truly stop him."  
  
"Yes and no, Harry." Dumbledore said. "You see the prophecy from the visions state that the most powerful descendant of Gryffindor will ultimately destroy the most powerful descendant of Slytherin. This means that you could be that person, you could not be as well. Voldemort is in the same situation. He may be the wizard in the prophecy; he may not be however. But both families are running low on descendants. It may be one of your children Harry or of course." Dumbledore stopped for a second to gather his thoughts.  
  
"Yes??" Vernon asked attentively. He was obviously caught up in the story to the point where he wanted Dumbledore to immediately continue.  
  
"Well you see Mr. Dursley. Harry gets this relation to the Gryffindor from his mother's side. This means of course that.."  
  
"Petunia!" Vernon said fearfully.  
  
"Well yes, but actually Dudley is the one that comes to mind." Dumbledore finished.  
  
"Dudley??" Harry spat out quickly. "I don't understand Professor, Dudley isn't a wizard."  
  
"You're right Harry, but that doesn't mean that he couldn't have kids some day that may be."  
  
Harry almost laughed at the thought of his cousin Dudley actually getting married and having kids with someone someday.  
  
"The reason Voldemort never came after your family Mr Dursley is that he couldn't connect the family line with your wife and son. Since they aren't magical beings, they aren't as easily sensed as someone like Harry. Certain measures were taken even many years before your wife was ever born to make the Gryffindor family line hard to trace."  
  
"I see." Vernon said plainly. He looked as though he was about to be sick and Harry knew that if he in fact he was informed about the true contents of his dragon burger, he may in fact have gone over the edge.  
  
There was a moment of silence in which Harry must have had over a thousand thoughts flow through his head. Some of them happy and proud; he was related to Godric Gryffindor in fact, some of the thoughts sad, some thoughts confused as this definitely complicated things. He wanted to tell Ron and Hermione right away. He wondered if Sirius knew. He wondered if even the Death Eaters knew why Voldemort was after him.  
  
Dumbledore continued however. "You see Mr Dursley, you're son will be safe at his home and there is no reason to alert him. He would never be detected by anyone unless something happened to Harry which we'll do everything in our power to make sure he stays safe." Dumbledore shot Harry another smile. This one was different however. This one seemed to be the type of smile you couldn't help returning. And Harry did so.  
  
"Is there anything I need to do then?" Vernon added systematically as though he was making another one of his drill sales.  
  
"Nothing Mr Dursley. Try not to worry yourself with this matter. I can assure you that your family is well protected, and that you will not need to take any extra precautions. Do not worry about your son going to school, you going to work, or your wife being at home by herself. She'll be well protected and they are all very well hidden I can assure you."  
  
Vernon Dursley looked as though the weight of the world had suddenly been taken off of him. He gave an obviously relieved sigh but then stiffened up a bit when his thoughts immediately went to Harry. The Potter boy which he and his wife had despised for all of these years has to carry this burden, the same burden that was an enormous weight on his shoulders for the past several minutes. He has to carry this for the rest of his life. At once Harry could notice a complete difference in the way that his uncle looked at him. He could almost detect the admiration and the sympathy at the same time. Harry wondered what was going on in his head as he looked at him.  
  
Vernon wanted to say something to his nephew. He wanted to tell him how sorry he was for not treating him better. He now knew that his son's future may possibly rest in this boy staying alive and he almost wanted to ask Dumbledore if there was possibly anything else he could do to help with the situation.  
  
Dumbledore could already sense that Vernon was overcome with emotion so he began talking again.  
  
"Naturally as a father and a husband I can expect that you will want to do everything in your power to protect your..entire family. But the only thing that we can ask you to do is to make sure that you and your family just live your lives normally. We don't wish to rock the boat so to speak."  
  
Even Vernon could feel the power radiate from Dumbledore, the very same power that Harry had seen his entire time at school. The same power that made the giant that stand up for him all those years back when he had insulted his very name. He could understand Harry wanting to be around him and for the very first time, he felt better about the whole situation.  
  
"I trust your judgment Dumbledore. I do ask that from time to time you will inform us of how things, I mean, how Harry is doing." Vernon said with a blank look.  
  
"I will do so sir. I appreciate you bringing Harry here, and I do wish you a safe trip home." Dumbledore said with some finality in his voice.  
  
"Yes. Thank you." Vernon said has he stood up and turned to Harry. "You take care of yourself Harry."  
  
Harry. It was the first time since Harry could remember that his uncle called him by his first name and he was grateful for it.  
  
"I will sir, thank you." Harry replied.  
  
And with that, Vernon made his way to the front door, and back out to Muggle London.  
  
Dumbledore and Harry made their way to the fireplace where he instructed Harry to floo back to the school. Harry did so and when he arrived at the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room, his things and Dumbledore were already waiting for him. 


	3. The Meeting of the Minds

Chapter 3 The Meeting of the Minds  
  
Harry stood up and began to brush the soot off of him when Dumbledore magically lifted his trunk and Hedwig's cage up to his dormitory.  
  
"Harry there is a very important meeting I would like for you to attend this afternoon if you think you are up for it." Dumbledore said.  
  
He nodded and Dumbledore then continued.  
  
"Good, I figured you would be. It will be up in my office at 3:30, the password is Honeydukes. I'll see you then." He turned to walk out, but then stopped again. "Oh and Harry, I know what you heard this afternoon may have disturbed you, but I want you to know that you should feel no different about who you are. As I have told you on countless occasions Harry, we are who we choose to be."  
  
And after Harry nodded at him again, he walked out of the common room.  
  
Harry went up to his new dormitory and looked around. The fifth year rooms were a bit bigger and he seemed to enjoy the fact that he would have more space for his things. He lay down on his new bed and began thinking about his newly discovered family tree. He wondered what was going on in his uncle's head as he drove back home. Would he tell Petunia and Dudley? Harry thought that if he did it might give them both heart attacks.  
  
After unpacking all of his things with no great rush, Harry realized that it was a quarter after three. He figured he'd better start towards Dumbledore's office to make sure he wasn't late. Plus he was so curious to find out what type of meeting might be taking place that involved him that he wanted to try to find out what it was about as soon as possible.  
  
When he walked out of the common room, the Fat Lady gave a startled gasp.  
  
"My goodness! How did you get in there? Where did you come from???" she said.  
  
Harry smiled realizing that she didn't know about him using the floo. "I took the floo from The Leaky Cauldron. Dumbledore must have set it up so I would come straight to the common room."  
  
"Oh! Well, I guess you'll be staying here for the summer then?" she said.  
  
"Yes I will. Do I need to get a password from Dumbledore to get back in?"  
  
"No dear, I'll let you in until the rest of the students get back." She replied smiling.  
  
"Thanks!" Harry said.  
  
Harry made is way hastily up to the gargoyle entrance and as he was about to give it the password, he heard a yell from behind him.  
  
"Harry!" It was Ron standing next to his mother and father. He could see Bill and Charlie behind them walking through the main entrance.  
  
"Ron! Hello everyone! What are you all doing here?" Harry said as he shook Ron and his dad's hand and then was given a bear hug by Ron's mom.  
  
"We are here for the meeting with Dumbledore" said Arthur as he ruffled Harry's hair.  
  
"Hello Harry. Anyone know what the password is?" Bill said staring at the gargoyle.  
  
"Honeydukes." Harry said as the statue started its rotation.  
  
"You invited to this meeting I take it Harry?" Charlie said as he jumped on behind his dad.  
  
"Yeah, Dumbledore asked me to come this afternoon. What's it about anyway?" he asked.  
  
"I don't really know for sure, I have some idea though" said Ron's dad Arthur.  
  
As they all gathered at the top of the staircase, Harry noticed several people that he recognized, and a couple that he didn't. Mad-Eye Moody, Professor Lupin, Mrs. Figg, Professor Snape, and two others he couldn't place. Harry stayed at the back of the room with Ron while everyone finished their hellos and subtle conversations.  
  
"What's this all about Ron?" Harry whispered.  
  
"I don't know for sure. Just that it involves something that's going on with the Death Eaters. Dad wasn't going to let me come but Dumbledore asked that I be here. He was really surprised until I told him that you were here too." Ron said.  
  
"That's strange." Harry said softly. "Do you know who those two men over there are?"  
  
Ron gave him a shrug. "I only know Lupin, Moody, and Snape."  
  
"The old woman over there is Mrs. Figg. She used to watch me for the Dursley's when I was younger. I found out that she is a witch just this morning. Evidentially she moved to Surrey after my parents died to make sure that Voldemort didn't find me."  
  
Ron was about to say something when Dumbledore came out of his private office a floor above everyone. He came out to the balcony and everyone stopped talking at once. He smiled then looked over the small group and began to speak.  
  
"Welcome friends. First of all I would like to make sure that everyone is acquainted. I think we all know Arthur and Molly Weasley. You may not however know all of their children that are present here. Bill, Charlie, and Ron give a wave to everyone."  
  
All of their ears seemed to turn red at the same time. Harry had seen Ron's turn red on several occasions so it didn't surprise him to see his older brothers do the same thing when nervous.  
  
"Standing in the back with Ron is Harry Potter. I think everyone in this room has seen him at one point, but for some of you it has been many years. Harry, I think you know Arabella Figg, but you don't know these two gentlemen next to her. This is Mundungus Fletcher, and Belty Archer."  
  
Harry gave a quick smile to Mrs. Figg and a quiet nod to both Mr. Fletcher and Mr. Archer. Both men looked very old, but very formidable at the same time. Fletcher seemed very weathered. Not quite as much as Moody, but he looked as though he had dealt with a dark wizard or two in his time.  
  
"Now that we have all been introduced, I have a few quick words before I ask each of you to report in. We are all aware that the Ministry would not condone meetings such as this, which is why I must ask all of you to remain silent at this point regarding these discussions. We are all risking very much but hopefully all understand they are necessary risks. I would like for everyone to know that Harry Potter will be staying here at school for the summer, and that information won't be disclosed to anyone outside of this room for his protection. Having said that I, will open up the floor to Arthur Weasley so that he may tell us the goings on inside of the Ministry."  
  
"Thank you Dumbledore." Ron's dad said as he walked towards the staircase. He took a few steps up so that everyone could clearly see him.  
  
"As Dumbledore said, Fudge can't be counted on for support. He has already had numerous meetings to try to un-seat Dumbledore as head of the school, but the governors aren't having any of it. They all know what Dumbledore stands for and they all feel safe knowing that their children are here under his roof so to speak. At this point I don't think we will get much friction from Fudge and the others, but they surely won't be of any help. I have recruited a few workers at each of the important departments of the ministry to keep me informed of any friction that may arise there. They all can be trusted and will keep us one step ahead of them. I think that's about all I have."  
  
Arthur looked at Dumbledore for a second and nodded at him before he went back beside Ron's mom, Molly.  
  
"Thank you Arthur. Lupin, is there anything you need to share with us in your findings?" Dumbledore said.  
  
"Just a couple of things, yes. I have been spending some time in some of the dark spots like Nocturn Alley and the West Pub in Hogsmeade. It seems that some of the Death Eaters are looking for recruits. We know that their numbers are small right now and until they make a run at Azkaban, they aren't very formidable with their current numbers. I have had contact with a few of them. Some have been seeking me out for help in the area of Hogwarts information. It seems that the report of me being a werewolf that came out last year, thanks to Professor Snape, may come to our advantage."  
  
As Lupin finished that last sentence Snape looked as though he wanted to jump head first out of the tower window. Lupin however continued, taking the attention away from Snape.  
  
"They are thinking I may hold some sort of grudge against the school and Dumbledore for me not being able to teach here anymore. It seems as though some of them have been given assignments from Voldemort to try to build their numbers. I think this is why there hasn't been anything public from them yet. They must know that we don't have the ministry on our side yet and may want to make a move only after they have the numbers to make a larger bang before the ministry begins to prepare."  
  
After his last sentence, Lupin made his way down the stairs and winked at Harry as their eyes met.  
  
"Very interesting Lupin thank you. Severus, I do believe we would like to hear from you next."  
  
Snape made his way to the same step that they other speakers had walked to then looked at everyone with the same cold look that Harry had seen on a daily basis in his dungeon classroom.  
  
"Thank you Headmaster. I can tell you that Lupin is correct. Right now the Death Eaters are only trying to gather intelligence and numbers before they do anything in the public eye. Most of them are still very reluctant to ask Voldemort as to what his plans are. Many of them still fear that he may strike down on them at any time for not helping to return him to power sooner. As for me.." Snape stopped for a second and looked as though he was trying to swallow something very large before he spoke again.  
  
"I have been asked to report the goings on of these meetings and the whereabouts of Harry Potter. Obviously I have been working with Dumbledore on how to address these answers as to not draw any suspicion to the fact that I am.. doing what I am doing."  
  
Snape said nothing more and made quick steps to the back of the room, not too far from where Harry and Ron were standing.  
  
"Thank you Severus. I think I speak for everyone in once again saying thank you for your sacrifices and your risks."  
  
"With that I will be meeting with you each individually. Let's all make our way to the Dining Hall for some refreshments."  
  
As they all started making their way to the staircase, both Harry and Ron waited for everyone else to make their way past them. Fletcher and Archer both shook Harry and Ron's hand as they made their way past them to the staircase. Mrs. Figg gave Harry a hug.  
  
"Harry Harry Harry!" she said. "I am so glad you are doing well. I hear you are doing good with your studies. You don't know how many times when you were younger I was tempted to tell you about your parents. I knew them both very well. Sometime when we get a few minutes we'll have some tea and I'll tell you some stories about them. I knew those Dursley's wouldn't be able to tell you much. Do take care of youself. I'll see you down stairs.  
  
"Yes ma'am. Thank you" Harry replied with a fake smile. He didn't feel much like smiling even though stories regarding his parents did interest him.  
  
After Dumbledore walked past them, Harry and Ron were the last to leave. They were about to make their way down the stairs when they noticed that Snape was still in the room with them. He seemed to be staring at nothing in particular up on the wall.  
  
"Ron, go on I'll catch up with you." Harry said.  
  
Ron saw that Harry was about to be alone in the room with Snape and he had an open mouthed look on his face.  
  
"You sure about this Harry?" he said.  
  
"Yes I'm sure, I'll be right down."  
  
Ron walked slowly down the stairs hoping his friend would hurry to follow him.  
  
Harry then turned back to Snape who was still staring out into space.  
  
"Professor, can I talk to you for a second?" Harry asked very softly.  
  
Snape didn't move his eyes at all but spoke anyway.  
  
"No one is stopping you Potter, what it is?"  
  
"Well, sir, I just.. I just wanted to say thank you sir."  
  
"Thank me for what Potter?"  
  
"For what you're doing sir. For going back to them. What you are risking I mean."  
  
Snape's eyes came back into focus and then he turned his head to face Harry.  
  
"I know what he does to them. I was there remember, when he came back. I saw what he did to them. When he hurts them." Harry said with a shaky voice.  
  
"Potter, both of us are in bad positions in this. Neither one of us is going to have an easy ride. I assume that we can only do what we can to make it easier on one another."  
  
"Yes sir." Harry wasn't sure what he meant, but he knew that his thank you was welcomed. For the first time in his life, Snape's ripping look wasn't directed at him. He imagined though from this point on, that they may be able to set their difference aside.  
  
"Well, see you downstairs then." Harry said as he turned to walk down the staircase.  
  
Snape didn't reply, and returned his eyes to his spot in space.  
  
A/N-Thanks GoldenRose for the Correction on Lupin!! 


	4. The Quidditch Field

Chapter 4 - The Quidditch Field  
  
Harry made his way down to the Great Hall to find the mood a bit lighter than he expected. The Weasleys were all sitting next to one another talking as though they were back at the Burrow. Harry couldn't help but smile when he saw them this way. They had become his only family over the past few years and when he was around them it was the closest thing he had to real brothers, sisters and parents. They all smiled at him and waived him over immediately when he entered the Hall.  
  
"Harry come over here and drink some punch" Ron's mom said and she handed him a large glass. "Have a cookie too."  
  
Harry could see a few small groups had formed. Other than the Weasleys, Lupin, Fletcher and Mrs. Figg were gathered at another table. They were all smiling while Mr. Fletcher was told a story. He was making gestures with his hands imitating himself being strangled. Up at the staff table Harry could see Dumbledore in deep conversation with Mr. Archer and Mad-eye Moody. None of them were smiling and Harry could tell that the conversation was a serious one.  
  
Harry began to sip his punch and was listening to a story Charlie was telling about a dragon that went on a rampage in Romania, when Ron kicked him lightly under the table.  
  
"How did it go with Snape?" Ron whispered to Harry.  
  
"Oh. Good I guess. We didn't say much. I'll tell you more about it later. I have something else to tell you as well, but it will have to wait." Harry said.  
  
"You didn't kill him did you? I noticed he didn't come down after you?" Ron said smiling.  
  
Harry just shook his head and grinned. But the grin went away in a hurry. Despite the comfort of the Weasleys in their family conversations, Harry began to feel depression creeping back into his head. He hadn't been back at school for more than a few hours, and he guessed that the fact that he had attended the meeting and now seeing Ron and his family had delayed the inevitable. Cedric came into his head. Harry realized he and everyone else were sitting at the Hufflepuff table; Cedric's house table. He couldn't help but think about all of the times he had eaten meals in here and glanced over at this table seeing Cedric and his friends sharing stories and have a good time. He suddenly felt sick to his stomach and stood up quickly hoping to make the feeling go away. Charlie stopped talking and everyone turned to Harry.  
  
"You okay mate?" Bill said.  
  
"Harry you don't look well dear. You need some more punch?" Ron's mom said quickly.  
  
"Umm, no I'm fine. I think I just might need some air. I'll be back in a bit." Harry said.  
  
He then turned and walked out of the Hall, past the main entrance hall, and out the front door.  
  
"Mom, I am going to catch up to Harry and see what's wrong." Ron said.  
  
"Give the lad some space son. He's been through a lot lately you know." Ron's dad added.  
  
Ron found Harry under a tree in the courtyard. At first he stopped and just watched him a bit. He wanted to make sure he wasn't throwing up or, even worse, crying. It's not that Ron didn't want to be there for his best friend, he did. It was just the fact that there are some things that he didn't think he could help Harry with. He could be a great listener, if that's what Harry needed. But Harry hadn't talked much about what happened at the last task of the tournament. He had heard his parents talk about it. He had read about the events in the paper and had heard Dumbledore's speech at the end of last year. But he still didn't know many of the details, and he wasn't going to pressure Harry into trying to get him to talk about it. He just wanted to be there for him. He wanted to try to get his best friend's mind off of the problems he and everyone else were now facing.  
  
He slowly made his way to the tree that Harry was sitting under. Harry had an almost blank look on his face and he was staring down at the quidditch field. It was a countenance that Ron wasn't able to read.  
  
"You okay Harry?" Ron said softly.  
  
"I'm fine Ron. I just felt sick all of a sudden. I needed some air. I'm feeling better already."  
  
"Harry, I asked mom and dad, and they asked Dumbledore and he said that it would be okay if I stayed here this summer. If you don't mind that is. I figured we could work on our quidditch. There is an empty spot on the roster this year and I figured you could help me a bit. Maybe I can fill it."  
  
Harry just kept staring down at the quidditch field for a second before he spoke.  
  
"Ron, don't feel like you have to stay here because of me. You hardly get to see your family and I'd feel really bad if you stayed here just to keep me company. I do appreciate it, but please don't."  
  
"Harry, I do like seeing my family, but you don't know how it is at my house now. Bill and Charlie aren't there anymore and Fred and George are starting work during the summer too, and dad and Percy are gone even more than last summer. That leaves me at home alone with Ginny and mom all day. You think that's going to be a fun summer?"  
  
"Ron, please. If you do it just make sure you really want to. I have enough to feel guilty about right now and I don't want to add that to my list."  
  
"Harry look, it was supposed to be a surprise, but, well... Hermione is coming too. We talked about it yesterday and we are going to be here with you. Hermione is excited at the fact that she can work on her OWL studies here at the library anyway. She and her parents aren't going on their vacation this summer. They just opened a private practice and told her that they needed time to get their business in order. She is really excited about coming here, but she asked me not to tell you. She is getting in tonight and wanted to surprise you."  
  
Ron was worried because Harry didn't show any emotion the entire time he talked about Hermione and himself staying with him for the summer.  
  
"I can't ask you guys to do this Ron, it's just not.."  
  
Ron interrupted him.  
  
"Look, you didn't ask us Harry, we just wanted to be here. And I can damn well tell you that we are both worried about you mate. Harry there have been times in my life when I needed someone to be there, and you and Hermione have always done so. Even if you didn't know things were bothering me, even if we didn't talk about it. It was just you guys being there that helped me out. As a friend I expect you to keep being there for me if I ever need you, and so I am going to do the same. Besides, I am serious about the quidditch thing. I am trying out for the team."  
  
Harry was still staring down at the field. All of a sudden he looked up at Ron, then back down to the quidditch field.  
  
"I don't know if I'll ever be able to go back down there Ron. I am scared to death of that place. How can..." Harry's voice cracked for a second and he stopped speaking.  
  
"How can I play quidditch if I can't even go down to the field?"  
  
Ron didn't know what to say. He was frustrated with himself. He had been thinking for the past several days about what he could say, or what he could do to help Harry feel better. His face started getting red and he clutched his fists tightly not realizing he was doing so.  
  
"Harry, what can I do? And don't give me this crap about doing nothing. If it were me down there you would be kicking yourself trying to help me. Put yourself in my shoes for a second. I feel like shit Harry. I feel useless to you as a friend right now. I have to help you through this Harry; even if it's just a little bit. What can I do?"  
  
"Ron, you are like a brother to me. Your parents are like my parents. I understand that you want to help me but listen to me for a second. You being here is all I need. That's all I can accept from you right now without making myself feel worse. You have done more for me already than anyone in my whole life. You and Hermione have kept me together."  
  
Harry stood up and gave Ron a quick hug and then a quick pat on the side of his shoulder.  
  
"Thanks for coming here. Thanks for staying. Wait till you see our new dorms. They are a bit bigger than last years. I already took the best bed by the window though, I guess you get second pick. Let's get back inside."  
  
Ron quickly grabbed his arm before he could get away.  
  
"Oh yeah, you forgot to tell me about Snape, and you said you had something else to tell me as well."  
  
"Oh yeah right." Harry said. "Well since Hermione is coming, I'll just wait and tell both of you later. Its kind of a long story and I really don't want to tell it twice."  
  
Ron just nodded, but was very anxious now to hear what he had to say. He hoped that maybe Harry was ready to open up to him a bit more. He guessed he would just have to wait until later.  
  
With this Ron smiled. He suddenly felt a bit better about everything. He felt like he was doing some good and hearing Harry talk about he and his family that way gave him an undeniable lump in his throat. He and Harry made their way back into the Great Hall and continued their conversations with the Weasley bunch. 


	5. The Reunited Trio

Chapter 5 - The Reunited Trio  
  
Dumbledore had private conversations with everyone in the room except for Ron and Harry. This didn't bother either one of them however and they didn't feel like they were being left out of anything. Being here at the school for the summer, they both knew that if anything important happened, they would be in on it anyway. After everyone was finished, Dumbledore thanked them all for coming one last time. They all made their way to the main entrance and the Weasleys all shared their good-byes with Ron and Harry. Mrs. Weasley gave Harry another one of her famous bear hugs, and even though they restricted his breathing, he liked them just the same.  
  
Harry and Ron made their way to the entrance to Gryffindor tower when Ron saw the fat lady.  
  
"Damn, do you know the password?" he asked.  
  
"She isn't using one for us this summer." Harry said as the Fat Lady smiled and let them both in.  
  
After Ron got all of his things situated in his new dorm room, he and Harry went back down to the common room to play a game of chess. After the third straight check-mate in less than 30 minutes by Ron, Harry had had enough.  
  
"I am never going to beat you at this unless I cheat." He said.  
  
Ron just smiled at this. There weren't many things he was better than Harry at, but chess was one of them and he wasn't about to go easy on him.  
  
"You'll beat me one of these days. Maybe I should start playing you without my queen." Ron said laughing.  
  
"Very funny. How about some snap, at least I can compete at that." Harry added.  
  
Just then they heard yelling outside of the entrance portrait.  
  
"What's going on out there?" Ron asked Harry.  
  
"I don't know. I'll go find out."  
  
Harry pushed the painting open from behind and saw Hermione standing there demanding she be let in. "I don't have a password.. just let me."  
  
"Harry!" Hermione's eyes lit up immediately when she saw him. She gave him an enormous hug like they hadn't seen each other in months.  
  
"Hey you! What are you doing here?" Harry tried to act surprised.  
  
"Well I'm coming to stay here for the summer to do some early studying for OWLS and I wanted to surprise you. She wouldn't let me through though." She said pointing to the Fat Lady.  
  
"Oh!" Harry said turning to the Fat Lady. "She and Ron are staying here for the summer too. Will you let them through as well, or do you need to set a password?"  
  
The Fat Lady seemed to be thinking for a second, but then smiled and said, "Sorry dear, I just wasn't informed that's all. Can't be too careful these days."  
  
Harry grabbed Hermione's things from her hands and called to Ron to help with her trunk.  
  
"Hey Ron, its Hermione, come help get her things."  
  
Ron walked to the entrance and had a smile on his face the moment he saw her.  
  
"Hey Hermione, we weren't expecting you until later!" he said.  
  
"Ron Weasley, I told you not to tell him I was coming!"  
  
She turned to Harry with that disgusted look on her face.  
  
"Good job acting surprised though Harry." She smiled and gave him a wink.  
  
Hermione led them into the girl's dormitory to tell them where to set her things. After they set them all down, they each picked a bed to sit on and Ron began to fill her in about that afternoon's meeting. Right when he got to the end he remembered that Harry had stayed behind to talk to Snape.  
  
"Harry, now that Hermione is here, you have to tell us about Snape."  
  
"Snape is here this summer?" Hermione said quickly and Ron nodded.  
  
"Oh great." She said.  
  
"So what did you say to him Harry?" Ron asked.  
  
"I just thanked him." He said plainly.  
  
"You what? Thanked him? For What?" Ron said quickly.  
  
"I just thanked him for risking his life. For going back to the Death Eaters. I told him that I knew what Voldemort did to them. How he punished them for not bringing him back."  
  
Ron and Hermione were speechless. Harry had finally said something about that night. It wasn't much, but it was something. Hermione looked at Ron for a second as though she wanted him to say something but then realized he wasn't going to take the chance.  
  
"Harry, that's a really nice thing you did. I bet it meant a lot to hear you say that. I just realized that I didn't even think about him that way. What he was risking I mean. Did he say anything back to you?" she asked.  
  
"Not much, but I could just tell that something was going on with him. Something was really bothering him. I wanted him to know that I was on his side and that I wasn't going to let anything that has happened in the past stop me from not recognizing what he was chancing for us all."  
  
Ron and Hermione looked at Harry for a second, then at one another, and then both of them looked at the floor. Ron finally broke the silence.  
  
"So what was it you wanted to tell us mate?"  
  
"Oh yeah. This is kind of a long story, are you sure you don't want to wait?" Harry was stalling. He didn't know if he was ready to share it with them even though it had been all he had though about since this morning.  
  
"Wait for what? Tell us! You're killing me here" Ron said.  
  
Hermione gave Ron a mean look and then went and sat by Harry and took his hand.  
  
"Harry if you aren't ready to tell us, then don't." She looked into his eyes and smiled.  
  
He couldn't help but smile back at her. She was such a good friend to him and it had always been so easy to talk to her. He always knew that he could get advice from her and an honest opinion when he needed it, even if he didn't agree with it all the time. There was something about her holding his hand that made it easier.  
  
"Okay I'll tell you. Hmmm, this is hard. To start I mean. Well, okay. Dumbledore told me early this morning why Voldemort is trying to kill me. Why he tried to kill me all those years ago. It seems as though there is some old prophecy that states.." Harry continued with the story.  
  
He told them the entire story in every detail. He told them about Godric Gryffindor and his mom and Dudley, and how his uncle had started being nice to him. He went on for over thirty minutes repeating all that he could remember until he finally looked at them and waited to hear what they had to say.  
  
"Whoa." A wide-eyed Ron said with an open mouth.  
  
"You are really the heir to Godric Gryffindor?" he said.  
  
"Apparently so." Harry said as he looked to Hermione to get her response.  
  
She was still holding onto his hand, but considerably tighter now and with both hands. She looked over at Ron then up to Harry and took a deep breath before she started to speak.  
  
"One of these days this will all end Harry. You know that don't you? I mean you're almost fifteen and you've already had more bad things happen to you than most people have in a lifetime."  
  
She looked as though she was about to start crying, but then looked back up at him with a smile.  
  
"One day it's all going to end Harry, and you'll be truly happy. Just think about that. Think what it will be like when you don't have to worry about you- know- who or the Death Eaters. You might almost become bored with life."  
  
Harry smiled at her and nodded. He had never been so glad to have them around in his life. He knew that he had tough times ahead and he knew that they would be there to help him get through them. Ron just stared at the floor. He was back to wondering if there was anything he could possibly say to help out. Hermione was good at it. She was better at reasoning than he was.  
  
"Harry?" Hermione broke the uncomfortable silence again. "I have a couple of questions. When Dumbledore said that they made protections years ago to hide the Gryffindor heirs, what exactly did they do?"  
  
"I don't really know Hermione." Harry hadn't really thought about many of the details at this point.  
  
"Why don't we go to the library and see what we can find out?" she said.  
  
"You've only been here for an hour, and you already want to go to the library!" Ron said.  
  
"I don't want to go for me Ron! I want to find out this information for Harry." She turned to Harry suddenly. "You do want to find this information out don't you?" she said.  
  
"Yeah I guess so." He said reluctantly.  
  
So they left the girl's dormitory and headed for the library. When they got there, it was open, but empty.  
  
"Is there anyone here during the summer Harry?" Hermione asked.  
  
"I don't know. I haven't been in here. I've only been here for a day as well, remember?" he said.  
  
"Well it's starting to get dark. Let's light some of the lamps and start looking a bit before dinner." She ordered.  
  
They each picked a different section of the library. Harry went to a section that had books dealing with the history of magical education. Ron went to the section with wizard biographies, and Hermione took one last look around the library, and slipped quietly into the restricted section to look around there.  
  
Harry immediately found a book entitled "The Hogwarts Founders". He went to a side table and opened the book. Inside he found it divided into four sections; one for each founder. He quickly found Gryffindor and opened it to find a picture of Godric himself. He stared at it for a while. The picture was faded and was obviously very old, but he could make out Godric's green eyes. His green eyes. His mother's green eyes. The picture almost looked like a muggle still photo like the ones of Dudley that were scattered all over the Dursley's house. But he looked closer and could see Godric blink every several seconds. He must have stared at that picture for five minutes. Finally he realized what he was doing, took a deep breath, and went further into the book. He read about some of the old wars that took place, and how Godric fought and was a leader in most of them. He read all about Godric meeting up with Helga Hufflepuff and how they began to magically train students to defend themselves. It also said how the two joined up years later with Ravenclaw and Slytherin and how they spent 10 years magically building the castle with some of their former students. But it really didn't say much after that. It talked about how he had created the sorting hat, and how it was used to.  
  
"Wait a minute!" Harry said loudly.  
  
"Did you find something Harry?" Ron said.  
  
"The sorting hat!" Harry said. "It was Godric Gryffindor's!"  
  
"I know Harry." Ron said with a puzzled look on his face.  
  
"Well don't you think he might actually know something about Godric Gryffindor? I mean he sat on his head for God only knows how long." Harry said with a smile on his face.  
  
"Harry that's a great idea!" Hermione said from behind the cage of the restricted section.  
  
"Both of you keep looking here for a few minutes. I'm going up to Dumbledore's office, and talk with the hat, and then I'll meet you both in the Great Hall for dinner, in say, an hour." Harry put the book back on the shelf and walked out of the library. It gave Ron and Hermione their first chance to be alone since she had arrived there.  
  
"Hermione, I'm really worried about Harry."  
  
"He'll be okay Ron. He's been through a lot, but you know how strong he is, he'll be fine." She said matter-of-factly.  
  
"Hermione, I'm not so sure. You didn't see him this afternoon. We were in the Great Hall after the meeting and he suddenly got up like he was going to be sick and ran outside. I found him under a tree staring at the Quidditch field. I went down there and talked to him but he didn't seem right. He told me that he didn't think he could play Quidditch this year because he didn't want to go back down to the field. He just seems so sad."  
  
"He'll be fine Ron" she said.  
  
Hermione turned around quickly and pretended to be looking for a book so Ron wouldn't see the tears that were silently running down her face.  
  
"I hope your right Hermione. If he doesn't play Quidditch I don't know if he'll hold together. It's really helped him steam off when he was having problems in the past."  
  
Hermione didn't say anything she just let out a small sniff, and then secretly wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her shirt. 


	6. The Sorting Hat and New Relations

Chapter 6 - The Sorting Hat and New Relations  
  
Harry made his way to the foot of the gargoyle staircase, said "Honeydukes" and stood on the step as he circled his way up to Dumbledore's office. When he got there the office was empty and Dumbledore's private quarter's door above him was closed. He smiled and said a hello to Fawkes who sang him a note that warmed his face. He looked up to see the sorting hat up on its glass resting place and he grabbed the book ladder and moved it in place to take the hat down. He climbed down with it carefully and sat it on Dumbledore's desk. He then sat in one of the chairs and stared at it for a moment, before he finally picked it up and placed it on his head.  
  
"Good evening Potter." The hat said to him immediately.  
  
"I can see in here you have found out a secret that is now troubling you. Yes it is true that my old owner is a distant relative of you. I knew that the moment I touched your head nearly five years ago."  
  
Then why did he want to put me in Slytherin? Harry thought to himself.  
  
"I never wanted to put you in Slytherin, but the fact remains you would have done well there. The fact remains that you would have done well in any house I would have put you in. But it was your choice in the end, it's always everyone's choice. I just see the choice they make more clearly than others. You chose the right one though so don't worry." The hat said calmly.  
  
"I have been on many heads Potter. Thousands, tens of thousands. You have troubles yes, but everyone does. At the time Godric made me he was more troubled than anyone I have ever known. He was very old, but somehow knew that his life was about to become more difficult you see. I have some magic from all four of the Hogwarts founders yes, but I have a stronger Gryffindor presence. You see at the time I was made, tensions had already began to run between Salazar and Godric. Both of them had a deep hatred for one another and both of them were very powerful wizards, even more powerful than most wizards could have ever dreamed of being. But neither one of them ever did battle against one another. They knew that they would destroy each other. Even if one did kill the other, the effort alone would have cost him his life as well in the end. So each one decided to keep the peace, all the while setting in motion what they could, to destroy the others future existence. You see Potter; magic is passed down the same as any other heirloom. Books, riches, estates, magic is no different. Your mother tried to do the same for you. She knew who she was; she also knew what she had to do to ensure that you were passed down what was rightly yours."  
  
"You mean she gave me some sort of power before she died?" he said at almost a whisper?  
  
"Sort of Harry, but this wasn't just any power. This is the power of Godric Gryffindor himself, or the opportunity to receive it in your case. Godric was the greatest wizard of his time you see. He found out that as he got older towards the end of his life, it was possible for him to choose an heir of blood to deliver his life force, or his power to. He made sure that this knowledge would live in the individual so that they would be able to continue to pass it on down the family tree and use what he had gained. But, he also made sure that only worthy candidates could use this power. As I can see you already know that your mother's side of the family has many muggles. But in reality they were all squibs. This was by design. If you track your family history Mr Potter, you'll see that there aren't many magical people in your past, but the ones that were born wizards and witches, were some of the most powerful of their time. The problem is that like Godric, Salazar took measures to see that his power was transferable as well. He used Dark Magic to do so however, and this, was his mistake. Dark Magic isn't as efficient and his power has slowly begun to deteriorate. This could be sensed from most and hence the prophecy had arisen. The path was visible by many of the true seers and it stated that as time went on and Slytherin's magic became older, it would become less and less powerful until the power could be destroyed. It was also seen that only a powerful heir to Gryffindor would be able to destroy this magic. So you see Potter, you hold Godric's magic, Riddle holds Salazar's magic, he is afraid that you would destroy him so he wanted take that chance away from you by killing you as a boy."  
  
"Why didn't he just kill my mother? Or did he already know that the magic was transferred to me? That's where I am really confused," Harry said.  
  
"That's where the secret lies Potter. Lilly didn't have the power. In fact, it had not been transferred to her yet. Riddle was one step ahead of himself, you see, a female heir can hold the power but not use it. Riddle didn't know who it was that had given it to her, but he did know that she was next in line to receive it and that she would give it to you." The hat paused for a second. "I sense your confusion. Allow me to help. Riddle assumed that if Lilly had the power, he would be unable to kill her. That's part of Godric's protection. He also knew that you were too young to be able to receive it. Therefore killing you would break the cycle. The power would then die with her. So when he came to kill you she had just finished performing a spell of one of the oldest types of magic that stripped her of her power. He sensed that she was powerless and therefore killed her to get at you. What he didn't know was that the spell that was performed by her was only an ancient protection spell that made him unable to kill you. What he still assumes to this day is that you hold the power, and that she somehow gave it to you that night."  
  
"So I don't have Godric's power," Harry said still confused.  
  
"Not yet you don't. But you will receive it in time I assure you." The Sorting Hat replied.  
  
"Can you tell me who has it now? I assume I have other family still alive somewhere?" Harry said hopefully.  
  
"That you do," Said the hat.  
  
"So where are they?" Harry asked.  
  
With that, Harry felt the hat being pulled off of his head. He turned around quickly to see Dumbledore standing behind him with a smile on his face.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore. I am sorry sir. I should have asked I know, I was just so excited about talking with the hat I."  
  
"Harry, I am not upset with you. I just overheard your conversation with the Sorting Hat and found an opening where I could interrupt." Dumbledore made the hat slowly flow up to its perch with a short flick of his wand and then sat down beside Harry.  
  
"Harry. I was hoping to give you the better part of the summer to hopefully clear your head before I loaded it down with what you heard from the hat, but alas, I was too late. I met with Hermione and Ron in the Great Hall where they said they were in the library, I assume helping you look for information on Godric no doubt."  
  
"Yes sir. It was Hermione's idea to look in the library. I was in a book when the Sorting Hat came to my mind. That's when I rushed up here." Harry said.  
  
"Harry, the last question you asked the hat. I think I can answer that for you. You see Harry, it is true, it was your mother who was supposed to receive Godric's power. And it was I that she was to receive it from."  
  
"So you and I are related Professor?" Harry said quickly. His heart was beating into his throat.  
  
"We are Harry. I am your great great uncle. It is I who holds the Gryffindor heirloom, and it is I who will ultimately give it to you." Dumbledore had a warming smile on his face; the same warming smile that had made Harry feel so protected for the past few years.  
  
"Why don't you go down and eat with your friends. They are waiting for you I am sure and I don't want to deprive Ronald Weasley of food for too much longer. We'll talk about this more later. Don't trouble your mind with any of this right now Harry. Have a good time with your friends. Open up to them if you can. They will greatly need your help in the months and years to come, so please allow them to return the favor."  
  
Harry got up from the desk, took a long look at Dumbledore and then a quick glance up at the sorting hat, and then turned towards the stairwell and headed down to the Great Hall. 


	7. The New Teacher

Chapter 7 - The New Teacher  
  
Harry made his way into the great hall to see Dobby sitting across from Hermione and Ron. They were listening to Dobby talk about some clothes he had made for Dumbledore, when they saw Harry. Dobby stood up quickly and ran over to Harry grabbing him around the waist.  
  
"Harry Potter! Harry Potter! Dobby has missed you he has!"  
  
"Thanks Dobby, I missed you too." Harry said smiling down at him then up at Hermione and Ron who were both smiling.  
  
Dobby began to sob at the though of himself actually being missed by someone and began to wale when Harry picked him up by his apron.  
  
"Dobby, it's okay really. It hasn't been more than a few weeks since you saw me anyway."  
  
Dobby let out another loud sob. "He remembers! He remembers when he saw Dobby last. You truly are a great friend to all Harry Potter. Now tell Dobby what you want for dinner and Dobby will get it immediately."  
  
"Well Dobby I am really not too sure, I haven't though about it." Harry said truthfully.  
  
"Then Dobby will bring Harry Potter everything and let him choose!" Dobby disappeared with a pop and was gone.  
  
"Dobby really likes you Harry." Ron said grinning. "I'm beginning to wonder if it was such a good idea to give him that sweater for Christmas. He'll be pining after me before too long."  
  
"He's already pining after you Ron," Hermione added.  
  
"True." Ron said.  
  
"I think it's adorable. He is so happy being free and having friends." Hermione went on. "I just hope that the others down there will follow suit. Hopefully Winky is feeling better." She said before eating another spoonful of pudding.  
  
Just as Hermione finished, the area of the table that Harry had sat down in front of, was covered with about 20 dishes, not one of them had a dish that Harry didn't like. Harry began to eat when Hermione broke the silence again.  
  
"So what did you find out from the hat?" she asked.  
  
"More that I wanted to I think." Harry said.  
  
Ron smiled when he said that, but then saw that he was serious and looked at Hermione and they both stopped eating.  
  
"Is it bad Harry?" Hermione asked. But before he could answer she put her head down on the table by her plate and said. "Of course it is. Why wouldn't it be? Why would anything good happen to him? How many bad things can happen to one person in a lifetime?" She started to slowly cry with her head still down on the table.  
  
Harry and Ron were both stunned at her outburst and just stared at her.  
  
"Hermione, it's okay. It's really not that bad I guess. I found out that Professor Dumbledore and I are related," he said.  
  
She looked up at him and wiped the tears out of her eyes.  
  
"What did you say?" she whimpered.  
  
"I said that I found out that Professor Dumbledore is my great great uncle," Harry said coolly.  
  
"The Sorting Hat told you that?" Hermione asked.  
  
"No, Professor Dumbledore told me," Harry replied.  
  
"Harry, that's amazing! Why aren't you excited? You don't seem excited?" Hermione said sounding as though she was about to start crying again.  
  
"It's just really complicated. Will you guys please not hate me if I don't want to talk about it right now?" Harry said with a pleading look in his eyes.  
  
"No problem man. That's wicked though Harry. Dumbledore is your uncle! See, you have family besides the Dursley's after all." Ron said smiling.  
  
Hermione continued eating silently but didn't look at Harry or Ron. No one spoke for at least a few minutes until the doors to the Great Hall opened up and two women came into the hall. The first woman was very pretty. She had light brown hair and was probably in her upper thirties, they all figured her to be a new teacher. The other woman that was behind her came through the door and they could see that she wasn't a woman, but a younger girl that looked to be around their age probably fifteen or sixteen and she was even prettier than the older woman with the same light brown hair, and deep blue eyes.  
  
"Hello." The older woman said. "Are we that late, or are we all that are here right now?"  
  
Hermione spoke up. "Well, we are the only three students staying here this summer. Dumbledore is in his office I believe and I am not really sure where the others are. Everyone usually eats dinner earlier around here, but we came in a bit late."  
  
The woman came closer to the table and the younger girl followed her.  
  
"My name is Rolanda Livingston. I will be the new potions teacher here. This is Meagan my daughter. She will be a fifth year student."  
  
Ron and Harry looked at one another quickly. Both of them were obviously wondering why Snape wasn't teaching potions.  
  
"Nice to meet you Professor, hello Meagan, we are all fifth years as well. My name is Hermione Granger." She said and shook both of their hands.  
  
"I'm Ron, Ron Weasley." Ron immediately shook Meagan's hand. Harry could see that Ron was very excited to meet her. He couldn't blame her. She was very pretty and when she smiled at Ron, his ears turn red almost immediately.  
  
Harry stood up and shook the new professor's hand.  
  
"I'm Harry Potter. Nice to meet you both." He would have shook Meagan's hand as well, but Ron still had a hold of it.  
  
"Did you say your name was Harry Potter?" Professor Livingston asked.  
  
"Yes, nice to meet you." Harry said still smiling.  
  
"Amazing," the professor added. "I knew your mother. You have her eyes. She was a good friend of mine. The last time I saw her was a month before she had you. I was pregnant with Meagan at the time so it was hard for us to get out and see one another. Then she and James went into hiding not long after that and Meagan and her father and I moved to the United States and have lived there for the past 13 years. Shawn, my husband, passed away last year and Meagan and I decided to come back here. Your mother and I went to school here together. Both of us in Gryffindor. I have some good memories of this place and of her."  
  
"I am sorry to hear about your husband. I recognize you from a picture I have from my parents wedding day. You were one of her bridesmaids." Harry said grinning.  
  
"I was younger then. I am surprised you recognized me," she said. "Meagan, why don't you get some food? I am going to find Dumbledore and tell him that we've arrived safely. I'll be back down in a minute to join you," she said as she walked out of the Hall.  
  
"Come sit over here Meagan, there is more food left in these serving dishes. Obviously because they are away from Ron," Hermione said smiling at him.  
  
"Thank you. It looks so good. I am starving. There wasn't anything good on the train to Hogsmeade." Meagan said smiling.  
  
"So Meagan, you're from the States eh?" Ron asked.  
  
Meagan nodded. "I was born in London, but we moved when I was almost two. This is my first time over here since. I've heard mom and dad talk about it so many times. It's so beautiful," she said.  
  
"Ron let her eat for Merlin's sake." Hermione said.  
  
"Sorry 'bout that." Ron said smiling.  
  
"No it's fine. So you three can do magic as well? I assume everyone here can?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, we are all witches and wizards here. Except for Filtch, the caretaker, but he doesn't really count. He is mean enough to seem like he has magic in him." Hermione said.  
  
"We don't have magical schools in America. Mom and Dad just taught me from home. She would order me books from the bookstore in Diagon Alley. So this will be my first time to do magic in front of people. I am kind of nervous. I am afraid I might be a bit behind everyone else," she said.  
  
"You'll be fine I'm sure." Ron said quickly. "You didn't stumble through the door or knock over your plate when you sat down, so your already loads ahead of Neville." Ron said.  
  
Harry nearly spat tea everywhere when Ron said that. He wiped off his mouth and then made himself stop laughing.  
  
"That's hilarious Ron, but he's not kidding Meagan. Neville is pretty bad. Sometimes he doesn't even know which end of his wand is up. You'll be fine. Don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll be way ahead of a lot of people." Harry said.  
  
"I hope so," she said as she took a bite of dinner roll. "I seriously don't want to make a fool out of myself."  
  
"So what made you guys want to move back here?" Harry asked her.  
  
"My dad passed away last year and most of my mom's and dad's family are around here so she really needed to come back. Professor Dumbledore came to the funeral and then offered mom a job here. At first she wasn't sure about it but then when she found out the old potions master was going to be too busy doing outside work, she told Dumbledore she would fill it" she said.  
  
"I'm sorry about your dad," Harry said.  
  
"That's okay Harry. Mom has told me all about you. I know you lost both of your parents. I can't imagine what that must be like. Mom still gets upset when she talks about your mom. They were really good friends. At least I still have my mom," she said.  
  
Everyone was silent for a moment, then Hermione broke the silence again.  
  
"Do you know what house you'll be in yet?" she said.  
  
"I am supposed to go see Dumbledore and the Sorting Hat." She said. Is it true there is a hat that is alive that tells you what house your in?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, it's true." Ron said.  
  
"I thought my mom was trying to trick me," she said smiling.  
  
"Hopefully you'll be in Gryffindor." Hermione said.  
  
"Yeah that would be cool." Ron said and was given a mean look from Hermione right after he said it.  
  
"It will put it Gryffindor if you want it to," Harry said softly.  
  
"What Harry? No one gets to pick what house they want to be in," Hermione said.  
  
"Sure they do," Harry said a bit louder. "I asked it to put me in Gryffindor my first year and it did. Plus I just talked with the hat a few minutes ago and it told me that everyone picks for themselves, he said that he just sees where they truly want to be."  
  
"Is that true Harry? Ron asked.  
  
Harry just nodded at him. Ron shrugged his shoulders at Meagan and Hermione. Meagan's mom came back into the room with Dumbledore behind her.  
  
"Ahh, I see we have already acquainted ourselves with one another. Hello Meagan, I am Professor Dumbledore," he said.  
  
"Hello Professor, nice to meet you. Mom has told me so much about you," she said.  
  
"Hopefully only good things." He smiled. "Meagan if you have finished eating you can come with me I'll get you sorted into your house. Then you can join your mother and get unpacked." He said. "Harry and Ron, won't you be as kind as to help her with her things. I am sure she will be interested in seeing how well you can use the magic you have learned here. Hermione, you can some with us and escort her to her things when we are done."  
  
Meagan looked at Ron and Harry and said "Nice to have met you all," then she followed Professor Dumbledore to his office. Ron and Harry helped Professor Livingston move some of her things to Snape's old dungeon office, and the rest they took to a wing of the castle they had never been to before.  
  
"This is where the teacher's living quarters are. I used to come here with Lilly and spy on Professor Markemer. We had such a crush on him our first two years," she said grinning to herself.  
  
Harry couldn't help but smile. This was the first friend of his mother's he had ever met. And he couldn't wait to hear more. She saw the smile on his face and knew what he was thinking.  
  
"There are many more stories where that came from Harry. Although some of them I can't tell you since I'll be one of your teachers and some I swore to Lilly I would never tell," she said.  
  
Harry and Ron looked at each other and grinned. After they had finished helping her with her things they decided to head back to Gryffindor tower. When they walked inside the common room, Meagan and Hermione were already there sitting on one of the couches and laughing.  
  
"I guess we don't have to wonder what house she's in anymore," Ron said with a huge smile.  
  
"You were right Harry," Meagan said. "When Dumbledore put it on my head the Hat said that I had the brains for Ravenclaw, and the courage for Gryffindor, so I just concentrated that I wanted to be in Gryffindor and he said, 'right you are' and put me there. Dumbledore seemed very pleased."  
  
"We're glad to have you," Harry said.  
  
"Harry, come up to the dorm room for a second, I have something to give you from Fred and George," Ron said pulling at his arm.  
  
"Better be careful Harry. If its candy, don't eat it." Hermione said.  
  
Harry and Ron made their way up the stairs to their dormitory when they heard Hermione telling Meagan about Fred and George and all of the things they did around there. When they got into their dorm room and closed the door behind them, Ron immediately turned around to Harry.  
  
"Is she not the hottest girl you have ever seen in your life?" he said.  
  
"She is very pretty Ron, yes," Harry said.  
  
"She's more than just pretty Harry, she's perfect. Look at her mom! She's beautiful too and she's old!"  
  
Harry just smiled. "Is that why you pulled me up here? To tell me that Ron?"  
  
"Yeah! Oh, well no. Fred and George did want me to give you a letter. They told me that they hexed it, and that if anyone but you opened it, it would explode. Don't know how they managed that though really."  
  
Ron dug through his trunk and pulled out the letter. It was on nice green parchment with a wax stamp that had three overlapping letter 'Ws' on it. Harry stared at it for a second then figured out it must stand for 'Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes', the joke shop that the twins were starting. Harry had given them the money that was given to him at the end of the Tri- Wizard Tournament last year. Harry looked at Ron for a second then told him to stand back while he opened the letter.  
  
When he opened it, the letter grabbed hold of both of his hands and started raising him up in the air. He struggled to get his hands free but the letter had a tight grip that he couldn't get out of. In a matter of seconds he was all the way up to the ceiling hanging from his hands by the letter.  
  
"Get me down Ron!' Harry said.  
  
"What do I do, I can't reach you Harry?" Ron said climbing up on one of the four-posters trying to grab one of Harry's legs.  
  
Ron made one final leap, but missed and landed stomach first on the dorm room floor knocking the wind out of him. The letter slowly began to let Harry down, and before he knew it, he was back on the floor and the letter released its grip, and opened for him to read it.  
  
"You okay Ron?" Harry asked.  
  
Ron just nodded and was gasping for air.  
  
Harry sat down on his bed and opened up the letter.  
Harry,  
  
Hope the Levitating Locking Letter didn't take you too high in the air. Just wanted to send it to show you one of the many things your investment has gone into buying. Right now we have over 40 different products that we are wholesaling to joke shops in Hogsmeade and Diagon alley. We have orders beginning to come in from all over now and business is really moving. We have hired a few people to help out while we're away at school, so we are busy getting them all lined out before we come back. Tell Ron and Hermione hello. Thanks again Harry.  
  
George Weasley Fred Weasley  
Just when he had finished reading it, Ron had just made his way back to knees but was still struggling for air.  
  
"What. was. that. thing?" Ron said.  
  
"New invention from your brothers. They seem to be doing well with their joke ideas." Harry said handing the letter to Ron.  
  
Ron read it carefully then stopped and looked up at Harry. "What do they mean by your investment?" he asked.  
  
"Oh. I have them my winnings from the Tri-Wizard tournament from last year. When Bagman ripped them off of their savings, I made them take it to start the joke shop." Harry said.  
  
"That was really nice of you Harry. It sounds like they'll be able to pay you back in no time. They seem to be making pretty good money now. They bought me two nice dress robes and some new school robes for my birthday this year. At first I waited for the robes to catch fire or something crazy like that, but then when I looked at them closely, they were just regular robes. Hey that reminds me! You think we'll have a formal dance this year?"  
  
"I don't know Ron, maybe, why?' Harry asked.  
  
"I wonder if Meagan would go with me? Maybe I should ask her before school is back in. Head off the competition so to speak," he said smiling.  
  
"What about Hermione?" Harry asked. "I thought you would ask her for sure."  
  
"Hermione is great Harry, but look at Meagan she's beautiful! I wonder if they have Veela in America?"  
  
Harry just shook his head and smiled. "Let's go back down there. They are probably wondering what happened to us." 


	8. The Nightmare

Chapter 8 - The Nightmare  
  
Harry and Ron made their way back down to the common room and sat down across from Meagan and Hermione. They shared stories and got to know each other until it became very late, and then they all decided that they should get to bed. Harry and Ron said their goodbyes, and made their way to their dorm room. It was the longest day that Harry could remember. As they got into their pajamas and crawled into bed, Harry was glad that he felt exhausted. He wasn't having the easiest time sleeping lately and he hoped that being back at Hogwarts would help with this problem. Shortly after he placed his glasses on his bedside table, he was already asleep.  
  
At about three-thirty in the morning, Ron woke up needing to go to the bathroom. He felt his way through the dark to the door of the bathroom and lit the lamp just inside the door. Then he slowly made his way to the toilet. When he was finished he washed his hands, turned down the lamp by the door and went back to his bed. He had lay back down and was about to drift back to sleep when he heard Harry breathing very erratically.  
  
"Harry, you okay?" Ron asked.  
  
He didn't get a reply.  
  
Harry was running down to the Quidditch field. He didn't know why he was running there but he just knew he had to get down there. He was still in his pajamas and he wondered if he had woken up Ron or anyone else running out of the dormitory like that. He was just a hundred meters or so from the field when all of a sudden he saw the maze appear. Someone was screaming from inside of it. That's why he had to get down there. Someone was being hurt or tortured. He stopped short at the entrance to the maze when he realized he didn't have his wand. He wouldn't be able to use the wand to light his way or point his way for that matter. He went through this maze not too long ago; he just hoped he could remember how to get through it again. It was dark and he could barely see inside the entrance to the maze. He wondered if any of the creatures or enchantments were still inside there. The he heard the screaming again. Whoever it was, was in serious pain.  
  
"I have to hurry," he said as he ran through the maze.  
  
He heard the screaming again.  
  
"I'm coming hold on!" he screamed back at them.  
  
He could barely see where he was going.Left, right, left, dead-end, right, left, back, and right. He was tired but he kept running. He heard the screaming again. It was louder. He was getting closer. He ran faster into another dead end. He went back turned the other way. He saw a long straight passage way in the dark. He didn't remember seeing this passage way in the first task. It was perfectly straight and it looked like it ran for at least fifty meters. At the end of it he saw a small bright light and a person standing in the shadows behind that light. He walked very slowly towards the end of the passage way. He squinted to try and see if he could see who the person was. It was just too dark, plus that damn light was doing nothing but creating more shadows. He stopped for a second and saw that the person was facing him and that they could easily see him coming with that light shining at him.  
  
"Hello!" Harry shouted in a panicked voice. "Are you hurt?"  
  
Nothing. The person just stood there staring in his direction. He slowly began to walk towards him again when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around quickly.  
  
"Harry! WAKE UP!!"  
  
It was Ron. He was back in his bed and Ron was standing over him.  
  
"Harry it's me," Ron said again.  
  
Harry was soaking wet from sweat and he was breathing like he had been running for miles. He reached over to the table and put his glasses on.  
  
"Harry, you were having a nightmare. I got up to use the bathroom and when I came back you were breathing really weird. I came over here and you were shaking like your whole bed was vibrating. I've been trying to wake you up for about five minutes. I was about to go get Dumbledore when you finally woke up."  
  
Harry took a minute to catch his breath. It was a dream. It was only a dream.  
  
"Sorry Ron. It was just a bad dream. I haven't been getting much sleep lately. I guess that's why you had such a hard time waking me up."  
  
Harry got up and got himself a glass of water.  
  
"You're soaking wet Harry," Ron said.  
  
"I know," Harry said grabbing a clean set of pajamas out of the drawer. He then went to the bathroom and changed into them. Then he stared at himself in the mirror for a minute, then looked down. He took off his glasses, turned on the sink, and washed his face with the cold water. He didn't want to go back to sleep tonight. He didn't want to go back to sleep any night for that matter.  
  
When he came out of the bedroom, Ron was still sitting up in his bed.  
  
"What was your dream about Harry?" Ron asked.  
  
"I'm not really sure. I just heard someone yelling and I was running after them. But I could never catch up," Harry lied. "That's strange," Ron thought to himself for a minute then spoke again. "What was the person yelling?"  
  
"They weren't really yelling. It was more like screaming," Harry said. "I'm going back to sleep Ron. See you in the morning."  
  
Harry didn't want to talk about the dream and Ron could tell this right away.  
  
"See you in the morning Harry." Ron said, and then he lay back down in his bed.  
  
Ron stayed away listening to Harry breathing for at least an hour. He could tell that Harry wasn't asleep. Ron finally dozed off and when he woke up the next morning, Harry wasn't in his bed. 


	9. The Warning

Chapter 9 - The Warning  
  
It was really early and Ron wanted to go back to sleep. But he wanted to find Harry as well. He changed out of his pajamas and went into the Great Hall, but the only person that was in there was Snape.  
  
"Sir, Sorry to bother you, but have you seen Harry?" Ron asked.  
  
"Yes, Weasley as a matter of fact I have, he came in here and got some toast then went outside with it I believe," Snape said.  
  
Ron was about to hurry after Harry when he realized something. Snape just answered his question. He didn't give him a foul look, or yell at him, or even take points away from him, even though he didn't think he could during the summer. He was actually... nice, well not really nice, but not mean at least.  
  
"Well, have a good day, sir," Ron said as he casually walked out of the Hall.  
  
"What in the hell just happened in there?" Ron thought to himself.  
  
When he stepped outside, he saw Harry under the same tree that he found him under the day before. He was staring down at the Quidditch field again too.  
  
Ron walked down there to sit by his friend.  
  
"You didn't sleep much last night did you?" Ron asked him.  
  
"No," Harry said. "Did you sleep okay?"  
  
"Not really," Ron said.  
  
"Sorry about that Ron. I can sleep back in our fourth year dorm until school starts," Harry said.  
  
"No, you didn't wake me up Harry. I got up to use the bathroom and that's when I heard you having that dream." Ron sat there next to him for a minute or so before he tried to engage in conversation again.  
  
"I saw Snape in the Great Hall. I asked him if he had seen you and you know what he said?"  
  
Harry just shook his head.  
  
"He said, 'I think he went outside Weasley'. I wonder if he is making some sort of happy potion and giving it to himself?" Ron said smiling.  
  
Harry just stared out at the Quidditch field and then he spoke.  
  
"He just realizes that something bad is probably going to happen to him Ron. He knows that the risk he is taking is too great. They'll kill him you know?" Harry said.  
  
Ron wanted to change the subject in a hurry. "Harry, can you tell me more about that dream you had last night?"  
  
"I already told you Ron," Harry said.  
  
"Sorry Harry, but you're not a very good liar; I've known you too long."  
  
"I don't want to talk about it Ron," he said.  
  
"Does it have something to do with the Quidditch field?" Ron asked pointing down to the field.  
  
"RON! I said I don't want to talk about it. Shit!" Harry's face was turning red.  
  
"Sorry Harry. I won't ask about it anymore." Ron said in a sorry I asked sort of voice.  
  
"Thank you." Harry said.  
  
Ron found himself angry that Harry wouldn't talk with him, but when he though about it, the anger quickly went away. His best friend was suffering. Suffering from lack of sleep, depression, and who knows what else. He just wanted to help, and the fact that he couldn't, made him angry.  
  
"Do you know when Hagrid is getting back?" Ron asked.  
  
"I have no idea. I was going to ask Dumbledore, but we got caught up in another conversation and it slipped my mind."  
  
"Is there anything in particular you want to do today?" Ron asked.  
  
"I don't know Ron. I don't think I'm going to be up for much today. I want to spend some time in the library and then try to talk to Dumbledore if he has time."  
  
Harry could see the disappointed look on Ron's face. "Ron, when the girls wake up, maybe you can take them into Hogsmeade. I am sure that Meagan would love to see the shops there, and you can't let Hermione bore her to death with her book knowledge, which is what will happen if you leave them alone too long."  
  
"That may not be a bad idea, Harry. You sure you're okay here by yourself though?" Ron added.  
  
"Of course I am you big lump. You think I'm going to get lost or something?" Harry said smiling.  
  
"You might!" Ron said smiling back at him. "It's happened before," Ron said, thinking of the three-headed dog adventure.  
  
Later after lunch, Ron convinced the girls to go to Hogsmeade. Hermione made a huge fuss because Harry wasn't going with them, but he convinced her that he needed to be alone to look some things up in the library. She finally gave in and left him in the common room.  
  
Harry went to the library soon after that, and headed straight to the restricted section. He wanted to find out all that he could regarding Salazar Slytherin and Godric Gryffindor, and he figured the information in this section might be exactly what he was looking for.  
After going to several of the shops in Hogsmeade, Ron, Hermione and Meagan went to the Three Broomsticks to have some butterbeer. Hermione and Meagan were talking about some dresses that they saw in a clothing shop across the street, when Ron interrupted them.  
  
"Harry had a terrible nightmare last night," he said.  
  
Hermione looked at him wide-eyed. "What about?"  
  
"He didn't really tell me. But I could tell it was a bad one. I got up around three to go to the restroom, and he was breathing really funny and was shaking non-stop. He was also really sweaty, I mean like soaking wet sweaty. He even had to change his pajamas. It took me five minutes to wake him though. I almost went for Dumbledore."  
  
"Ron this is really bad. I talked with Dumbledore yesterday when I got here and he said that he was really worried about Harry. And he doesn't look good. Did you notice his face yesterday? He looked as though he hadn't slept in a week," she said.  
  
"I don't think he has, not well anyway. I can tell you that he didn't go back to sleep last night. I got up at seven this morning and he was already dressed and back down by that tree staring down at the Quidditch field again."  
  
"Why the field?" Meagan asked?  
  
Ron and Hermione looked at each other and then Hermione spoke up.  
  
"That's where it happened; end of last year. Someone tried to kill Harry. They put his name in the goblet and entered him into the Tri-Wizard tournament. He was competing in the last task when he and Cedric Diggory, were tricked into grabbing a port key that took them somewhere. Voldemort was there, and he killed Cedric and then tried to kill Harry. He only just got away and he was injured. But I think he blames himself for Cedric's death. In fact I know he does," she said.  
  
Meagan obviously didn't expect something this intense to come out of Hermione's mouth. So she just looked terrified for a minute before she spoke. "Why does he blame himself if it was someone else that killed him?" she asked.  
  
"Meagan, we really aren't sure what all of the details are. Dumbledore is the only one that Harry talked to, and he said it was terrible," Ron said. "When we heard Harry was going to spend the summer at school, we both wanted to stay here too so that he won't be alone. Dumbledore really wanted us here to try and help him. His aunt and uncle treat him awful and I think Dumbledore knew it would only make things worse. Hopefully soon, he'll talk to us and we can help him get through this."  
  
Meagan sat there for a minute then she looked at the both of them. "You two are really special you know that? You three must be really good friends. I can't imagine what it would be like to have friends like that. I have always heard my mom talk about Harry's mom, Lilly. She was one of my mom's best friends and my mom still gets upset when she thinks of her. I guess I am just amazed at the friendships that are built here."  
  
Ron and Hermione looked at each other for a second and smiled.  
  
"You'll probably find out what it's like pretty soon, Meagan. We Gryffindor stick together you know." Ron said.  
  
She looked at him and smiled.  
  
Hermione was troubled though. If she was such a good friend, how come she didn't feel like she was helping Harry? What was she doing out having fun, when Harry was back alone at the castle going through books trying to find information about who he was?  
  
"Ron, Meagan, I hate to leave you two, but I think I am going to head back to the school and help Harry in the library. I can find books in there faster than most people and maybe I can help him find what he's looking for faster so he can relax and have some fun," she said.  
  
Ron wasn't opposed to this at all. He was about to be left alone in the presence of the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.  
  
"Is that okay with you, Meagan?" Ron asked fighting back a smile.  
  
"Yeah that's fine with me Ron. You need to show me the joke shop anyway. Hermione told me about your twin brothers. She said they love that place. I can't wait to meet them." Meagan said smiling.  
  
Hermione had a lot to think about on her walk back to the castle. She tried to rehearse what she wanted to say once she got to the library. She tried to think about what she could do to help him deal with everything that was going on. She hated not knowing what to do. She hated it. She almost always knew the answer to every question, and if she didn't know it, she knew where to go look for it. But this was different, and she honestly didn't know what to do, or what to say. She just kept walking staring at the ground.  
Harry had pulled a few books out of the restricted section that he wanted to skim through. His body was aching because he was hungry and he hadn't slept well in a really long time. He had been sitting at one of the tables for most of the morning and his back and legs were throbbing. He took his stack of restricted books over to the large sofa by the window. He sat two of them on the table and then lay down on the couch and opened the third. The book was titled "The History of Salazar Slytherin." It was a very old book, and looked as though it might fall apart at any moment. Every page was coated with dust, but the text inside was very legible. He began reading the introduction of the book.  
  
"The work within regards the powerful life of Salazar Slytherin. The knowledge was collected in the year 1205 AD, and then revised in 1500 AD. These events have all been verified to be accurate."  
  
Harry went into the first chapter, and began reading about what was known about Slytherin's childhood. It started talking about the different regions his family moved to and from. He didn't feel like this chapter was going to help him. Harry took a deep breath and quickly flipped to the middle of the book. A cloud of dust fell into his face when he did this and he dropped the book on the floor and took off his glasses to get the dirt out of his eyes. He sat his glasses on the small table by the sofa and lifted his shirt to rub his watering eyes. He then pulled his shirt back down and closed his eyes to let them continue to water and help clean the dirt out. He took a deep breath, and before he knew it, he had drifted off to sleep.  
  
Harry jumped up off of the sofa to find it extremely dark. He must have slept for a long time because the sun had already set. There weren't any lit torches in the library at all, and the only visible light was coming from outside the window. He stood up, put his glasses back on, and glanced out of the window expecting to see a full moon. The light was coming from the Quidditch field. It was the same small light that he had seen in his dream the other night. He couldn't tell if there was anyone next to it this time though, but he knew he had to go find out. The next thing he knew he was out of breath from running at almost a dead sprint to the field. He had just realized that he didn't have his wand again, when he heard the loud scream. It was even more terrible than the night before in his dream. But that was a dream. Could he be dreaming again? He didn't think so. This seemed too real. He stopped to catch his breath and kept patting his pants for his wand.  
  
"You woke up remember?" he tried to reassure himself. "This has to be real."  
  
The scream echoed again and he ran again, to the entrance and through the maze. It was almost as though he knew exactly where to go this time. He made every turn and didn't hit one dead end. He was back. He was looking down the long, open passage with the same light at the end of it. The man was back too; and with the light still shadowing him so that he was unable to make out the features of his face.  
  
"Who are you?" Harry screamed. "Are you okay? Do you need help?"  
  
Nothing. The person didn't answer.  
Hermione walked into the library and didn't see Harry at any of the tables. She walked around so that she could see inside of the restricted section's cage but still didn't see him. She was just about to go look for him in the common room when she saw him lying on the couch asleep. She was about to say something to him but then realized that she didn't want to wake him up because she knew he probably needed the sleep. But as she walked closer to him something wasn't right. He was breathing very strange and was sweating really bad. He was acting the same as Ron had described him acting the night before. She knelt down by him and grabbed his hand. It was shaking badly.  
  
"Harry wake up. Harry!" she said while she started lightly slapping his hand that she was holding.  
  
He didn't move. She yelled louder this time. "Harry! Please. Wake up!" She started slapping his hand harder. Once again he didn't move.  
  
Hermione began to cry as she grabbed a hold of his shoulders and tried to shake him awake. "Harry please. You're scaring me. What can I do? Someone help me," she screamed.  
  
She was crying very hard now; sobbing so badly that she couldn't even say his name anymore. She just knelt back down by his side and grabbed him around his shoulder and around his waist with both of her arms and squeezed him. His shirt was soaked with both sweat and her tears. Every few seconds she would try to shake him awake, but he didn't move. She thought about going to get Dumbledore but she didn't want to leave him and she was crying too hard to scream for anyone anymore.  
Harry was still trying to catch his breath, but he decided to slowly start walking towards the person in the shadow anyway. He had closed within about 10 meters when the man in the shadow spoke.  
  
"He's coming for you Harry. You know that don't you?" the man in the shadow said.  
  
"Who are you? Who's coming for me?" Harry asked.  
  
"Voldemort, Harry. He won't stop until he kills you. And he's coming for you. He's sending them after you," the man said.  
  
"Sending who? Who was screaming? Who are you?" Harry was getting annoyed, but he didn't dare run at the guy to see who he was. He decided to take a few more steps towards him when he heard crying and felt a weight on his chest.  
  
He found his face full of bushy brown hair, and that could only be, "Hermione?" Harry said.  
  
She looked up at him sobbing.  
  
"What's wrong? What's happened?" he said frantically.  
  
"Har...Har-ry, you. you..wouldn't.." she was having a horrible time talking in between sobs.  
  
"Hermione, calm down for a second and try to tell me what's wrong." Harry leaned up slightly and wrapped his arms around her to try to comfort her. She was still holding onto him, but she let go with one hand to try to get the tears out of both of her eyes.  
  
"Hermione it's okay, just try to calm down and talk to me." Harry said once again. He noticed that he was shaking and was slightly out of breath.  
  
She looked up at met his eyes. He smiled at her quickly to try and calm her down a bit.  
  
"Harry, something. is wrong with you. You. were having some... sort of dream and I couldn't wake... you up. You were shaking and breathing... real fast. I shook you and yelled at you and.you didn't wake up," she was still sniffing frequently.  
  
Harry knew that what had happened was something more than a dream. If what Hermione was saying was true, it was something else that was preventing him from waking up. The person in the dream was trying to warn him. He couldn't remember exactly what they had said, but he remembered being warned, and it was about Voldemort coming. But coming where? To Hogwarts?  
  
"Hermione, I think it was more than a dream. Both last night and just now, it was the same dream. I was down at the Quidditch field running through the maze. I get to this long pathway and there is a man standing at the end of it behind this bright light and I can't seem him clearly. Last night he didn't talk to me though. I think Ron woke me up too quickly. But today he spoke to me. He told me that Voldemort was coming for me. He was trying to warn me. He said that someone was being sent. That Voldemort was sending someone to kill me," Harry yelled loudly in frustration startling Hermione.  
  
"What does it mean Hermione?" he asked.  
  
"I don't know Harry. We should probably find Dumbledore," she said. She then gave Harry a big hug and he instinctively put his arms back around her as well.  
  
"Harry I don't think I have ever been that scared. I wanted to help you so bad, but I didn't know what to do. I just broke down and started crying. I needed to help you but I just started crying," she said as she began to cry again.  
  
"Hermione, it's.," he stopped. He didn't know what to say. He just held on to her and let her cry for a few minutes before he slowly nudged her up.  
  
"Let's go find Dumbledore," he said. 


	10. Watching Harry Sleep

Chapter 10 - Watching Harry Sleep  
  
Harry slowly walked from the library to the gargoyle staircase entrance. Hermione walked behind him slowly. Neither one said a word until Harry said, "Honeydukes" and they both rode the staircase up to Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore was sitting at his desk and gave them a quick smile, but then it suddenly went away when he could tell that something was wrong.  
  
"Harry, may I help you with something?" he asked.  
  
"Sir, do you have a minute? I need to talk to you about something." Harry said.  
  
"I'll make a minute. Please, both of you sit down." Dumbledore said.  
  
Harry and Hermione sat down across from Professor Dumbledore and then Hermione looked at Harry and waited for him to start.  
  
Harry looked up at Fawkes, then at Dumbledore and then he began.  
  
"Professor, I've been having nightmares sir. Umm.. for a while now. But last night I had one that was different, not a normal dream I mean. Ron had trouble waking me up. He found me when he got back from the bathroom, and he said I wasn't acting right. And then today," he stopped and briefly looked at Hermione, then back to Dumbledore.  
  
"I was in the library, and lay down on one of the sofas in there and dozed off to sleep. I had the same dream that I had last night. Hermione found me and couldn't wake me up either."  
  
"What was the dream about Harry?" Dumbledore asked.  
  
"Well sir. Both times I was running down to the Quidditch field, and the maze was back. I could hear someone screaming and I was trying to get in there to help them. When I ran through the maze, there was someone standing there, only they were behind a light and I couldn't see their face. Last night he didn't get a chance to talk to me. But his afternoon, I got close to him and he spoke to me." Harry stopped for a second.  
  
"What did he say to you Harry?"  
  
"Well sir, he said that Voldemort was plotting to kill me. And that he was sending someone after me. And, that's pretty much all he said or all I can remember that he said. Hermione was able to wake me up before he could say anymore," Harry said.  
  
Dumbledore looked at Harry and then gave Hermione a quick glance then looked down at his desk for a moment.  
  
"Do you know what it might mean sir?" Harry asked hopefully.  
  
"We can only guess Harry. It sounds to me that you are correct in thinking that it is something more than just a dream. It seems as though someone is trying to tell you something. I would suggest..." he paused for a moment then began again. "I would suggest that you sleep and let the messenger deliver his entire message. It doesn't sound to me as though the dream will go away until the person is sure that you have received it."  
  
Dumbledore stared at Harry for a moment while Harry absorbed what he had said.  
  
"Is there any possibility that something bad can happen inside of one of these 'dreams' sir?" Harry asked.  
  
"Harry, even a wizard as old as I am can only guess when it comes to the magical world of dreams. There are those that say that dreams are simply and only dreams. Others that say that dreams are a doorway to another world. I haven't yet fully formed my opinion on the matter, but I will not lie to you and say that this doesn't disturb me a bit. I would suggest that you use caution, but try to let the dream take its course."  
  
Harry stared at Dumbledore for a second and then down at the floor. He always expected Dumbledore to have all of the answers, but this time he seemed more on his own.  
  
"Thank you sir. We'll let you get back to your things now. Sorry to bother you," Harry said.  
  
"You have yet to bother me Harry. Please keep me informed on these dreams, and try to get some sleep; you look dreadful."  
  
Hermione and Harry went down the staircase and walked slowly to the common room. When they got there, Meagan and Ron were playing chess.  
  
"She's beat me twice in a row Harry!" Ron said not at all smiling.  
  
"My dad taught me when I was younger," Meagan said with a smile on her face.  
  
Harry and Hermione sat down on either side of them and watched the next game. Neither one of them said anything about what had happened.  
  
Ron had just made a move, when he looked up at Harry. "Harry, you need to get some sleep mate. You are starting to look ill," he said.  
  
"Thanks Ron, you look great too," Harry quickly said back to him.  
  
"I didn't sleep very well either Harry, remember? But I bet I don't look half as bad as you do," he said.  
  
Ron looked at Hermione and could tell that something was bothering her.  
  
"Did you guys not find anything in the library or something? You're both really quiet." Ron said.  
  
"I had another dream Ron," Harry said. "Hermione found me in the library. She couldn't wake me either."  
  
Ron dropped the chess piece he was holding.  
Moody limped into Dumbledore's office out of breath. He was always afraid to jump on the stairs while they were spinning upward, so it always took him a lot of effort to climb up them all with his one wooden leg.  
  
"You wanted to see me Dumbledore?" Moody said.  
  
"Yes, Alastor. Harry had some sort of vision this morning and another one this afternoon. Someone is trying to warn him of an attack. We don't know who it is that is warning him, but it is clear that they are trying to warn him of some sort of attack that is being planned by Voldemort," he said.  
  
"You think this is something we should take seriously Dumbledore?" he said.  
  
"I do. Harry may be just a fourteen year old wizard, but his dreams and visions are very powerful and haven't proven to be false alarms yet."  
  
"I understand sir. Do you think they know he is back at school yet?" Moody asked.  
  
"That, I do not know. But it is only a matter of time before they do know that he is here. We must be diligent in guarding the entrances to the castle. I will summon Severus and see if he has any news of this possible attack," he added.  
  
"I'll call some of my old friends," Moody said smiling.  
  
The then limped back and slowly went down the spiral staircase.  
Ron and Meagan listened to Hermione tell the story of Harry's nightmare, and then their visit with Dumbledore.  
  
"So, you're planning on going to sleep and hoping you have this nightmare again?" Ron asked in amazement.  
  
"Dumbledore thinks it's the only way it will make the dream go away. He thinks the person in that dream is trying to tell me something," Harry said softly.  
  
"So I'm just supposed to lay there and let you thrash and sweat just so you can see some wacky dream again?" asked Ron.  
  
"Ron, that's a great idea!" Hermione said.  
  
Harry, Ron, and Meagan all stared at her as though she had two heads.  
  
"What are talking about Hermione?" Ron asked.  
  
"One of us can stay up and watch Harry. If it looks like he is doing really badly, we can wake him up," she said with a triumphant look on her face.  
  
"How are we supposed to know if he is doing bad, and how are we supposed to wake him up? I shook him for almost five minutes." Ron asked her.  
  
"I don't know. I guess if he just starts looking worse than when I saw him today, we can throw cold water on him or something," Hermione said looking at Harry to see if she had his approval.  
  
"Hermione, I don't think I'll be able to sleep with you guys watching me, and I am positive I don't want you throwing cold water on me," Harry said.  
  
"You have any better ideas Harry?" Hermione added.  
  
Harry looked at Ron and Meagan hoping that one of them would speak up with a better idea, but neither one of them looked as though they had anything that could top it.  
  
"I'm all ears!" Hermione said still waiting for someone to speak up.  
  
"Ron, you and I can take turns watching Harry. I'll take the first night since you didn't sleep well last night. You make sure you get a good night's sleep tonight, and you'll do it tomorrow night," she said obviously proud that no one could top her idea. "I'm going to take a nap, you all can wake me up in a couple of hours for dinner," she said as she headed up the staircase for her dorm.  
Meagan and Ron played a few more games of chess while Harry watched silently. Ron beat her only once all day. After the chess, they all sat and listened to Meagan tell stories about some of her muggle friends in America, and how she used to play tricks on them all the time with her magic. Meagan was a very nice person, and she didn't have any problems making friends, but she always felt like something was missing with her friendships. The fact that she was a witch really bothered her and she never felt at ease with herself until she was back at home with her mother after school. She was just now able to be herself. She didn't have to hide the fact that she was a witch anymore. She was now surrounded by them. She had only known them for a couple of days, but Harry, Ron and Hermione were already becoming her friends.  
  
When the sun began to set, Meagan decided that she would go up to the dorm room and wake up Hermione. After a few minutes, they both came down and all four of them went to the Great Hall and met up with Meagan's mother to have dinner. After the usual feast, and an appearance from Dobby and Winky that almost scared Meagan to death (she had never seen a house-elf), they went back to the common room.  
  
Harry was dreading going to sleep that night. Even as tired as he was, he wasn't sure if he could let himself willing go to sleep to intentionally have a nightmare. But what choice did he have? Sooner or later he would just pass out from exhaustion and the nightmare would come anyway. Dumbledore was right, he needed to let the dream take its course and just see what happened. Hopefully the person would just deliver his message and then he would wake up, and then it would all be over. Hopefully.  
  
That night, Ron was going to sleep in their old fourth year dorm room while Harry slept in his bed, and Hermione was going to lie in the one caddy corner to where Ron usually slept. It wasn't right by Harry but it was close enough so that she could watch him, but not be too intrusive. Harry had already changed into his pajamas and gotten into bed when Hermione came into the room.  
  
"You ready to do this?" she asked him.  
  
"What choice do I have Hermione?" he said quietly.  
  
"True," she said frowning. "Okay, I got in a good sleep this afternoon, so I'm just going to sit over here and read tonight. Hopefully you can get to sleep and we can just get this over with. Don't be surprised if I end up throwing water on you Harry. I have a jug of it right here. If you look like you're in trouble, I'm going to use a cooling spell and then throw it on you to wake you up," she said.  
  
"Great. That might kill me all by itself," he mumbled as he rolled over and pulled the covers over his head.  
  
Hermione reached over and grabbed the 'OWL Study Guide' she had borrowed out of the library. She opened it but wasn't really intending to read it right away. She held it low enough so that she could see Harry over the top of the book. The lamp she was using wasn't that bright, so she couldn't make him out to be more than just a lump in the covers; but she could hear him breathing, and she wanted to keep listening to it so that she would be sure to know if he started having the dream.  
  
"Hermione?" Harry said softly without turning over.  
  
"Yes Harry?" she said. "Thank you for doing this. I really appreciate it." Harry said.  
  
"No problem Harry. If you need anything let me know okay? I am going to do some studying for my OWLs" she said.  
  
"Hermione, I never really told you what happened that night." Harry said softly.  
  
"I know Harry. I hoped that you would when you were ready."  
  
"Hermione, he beat me to the cup, but there was a huge spider that he didn't see. I yelled at him to watch out for it, but it attacked him. We both started shooting spells at it. We hit it, but not before it got hold of my leg. I couldn't even stand up, so all Cedric had to do is walk up and take the cup, but he didn't want to. He said that he wouldn't have made it if not for me helping him with that spider. He refused to take it. He told me to grab it but I refused. I could have taken it and he would still be alive today." Harry stopped for a second. Hermione could barely hear him breathing.  
  
"Harry you could never have known that. That's ridiculous to think that you could have known that," she said.  
  
"We argued back and forth until I came up with the idea for us to take it at the same time. He agreed and helped me up. He helped me walk to the cup. We both grabbed it at the same time and the next thing we knew we were in a grave yard. The cup was a port key. We both took out our wands and could see someone coming towards us. I heard Voldemort say." Harry stopped again. His voice had cracked and Hermione could tell that he has stopped because he didn't want to cry in front of her.  
  
"Voldemort said 'kill the spare' and Cedric was gone. He was dead on the ground right beside me Hermione. His eyes were still open. Wormtail tied me up at a gravestone and cut my arm with a knife. He used my blood to bring Voldemort back to life. The next thing I knew he was standing in front of me and the Death Eaters were summoned and had formed a circle around me. My scar was hurting more than it ever had before. I thought my head was going to explode. The Death Eaters were all really scared of him. He hurt some of them with the Cruciatus Curse because they didn't help him return to power sooner. Then he turned it on me."  
  
"He performed the Cruciatus Curse on you?" Hermione asked with a quivering voice.  
  
"Twice. I can't even explain how bad it hurt Hermione. It made me wish for death."  
  
Harry had to stop because just the thought of that made his heart begin to race. He let himself calm down for a second before he continued.  
  
"He told Wormtail to give me my wand back. He said that he was going to kill me, but that we were going to duel. He wanted all of the Death Eaters to watch him kill me. He kept playing with me; taunting me. I finally ran behind a headstone where he couldn't hit me with a curse. He then said he was going to kill me. I wasn't going to die hiding Hermione. I wanted everyone to know that at least I went down fighting like my parents. I stood up and threw a disarming spell at him and he threw the killing curse at me at the same time. The spells hit one another. I never told you and Ron this, but both my wand and Voldemort's wand were made from one of Fawkes' phoenix feathers as the core. They wouldn't fight each other. The wands were joined by some strange beam of light and we connected. I fought with him, each of us holding out wands, until his wand starting doing some sort of reverse spell effect. A shadow of Cedric came out, then and old man, then Bertha Jorkins. Then both of my parents."  
  
Hermione had begun to cry very silently. She was glad that Harry wasn't looking at her. She didn't want him to stop. She needed to hear this and she knew he needed to tell her even if it was painful for the both of them.  
  
"My parents came out and talked to me. They told me that they could help me get away. Cedric talked to me as well and he asked me to take his body back to his parents. I broke the connection between our wands and ran to the port key. They tried to stop me. I got to Cedric and then got the cup and that's when you saw me come back."  
  
Hermione didn't want to say anything because she knew that Harry would know that she was crying. She did her best to stay quiet despite the tears streaming down her face. How could anyone be so evil? How could someone murder without any remorse?  
  
"Thank you Hermione," he said.  
  
She finally spoke, "For what?"  
  
"For listening to me. For not asking me to talk about this earlier. For doing this for me tonight. You have been such a good friend to me. Both you and Ron have been such good friends to me."  
  
Hermione became really frightened. Harry was talking like he was about to die or something. She had to reassure him. and herself.  
  
"Harry, don't worry about your dream. You'll be fine. I'll be here. If I can't get you up, I'll yell for Ron to get Dumbledore. You'll be fine," she said.  
  
"Goodnight," he said as he rolled over to his other shoulder.  
  
"Hermione, if I do fall asleep, will you make sure that I am awake early? I want to get a start on the library early?" Harry said.  
  
There was no answer. He rolled over to look at the bed she was reading on and she was gone. He grabbed his glasses off of the table and looked again. She was gone. She wouldn't leave him without saying anything would she?  
  
"Hermione?" he said again.  
  
Harry guessed that maybe she went to get another book out of her dormitory. He got up for a second so that he could glance at the bathroom door to see if maybe the light was on, but it wasn't. He turned back around to get in bed, when he saw a light outside his window. He was dreaming again. The light was from the Quidditch field. He decided to run down there. He was going to end this. His fear was gone. He didn't even remember climbing through the portrait hole or going out the main door. The next thing he knew he was at the base of the maze entrance. He hadn't heard a scream yet. Maybe they didn't know he was there yet. He decided to quickly make his way through the maze. Maybe he could get a jump on the mystery man.  
Hermione could tell that Harry was having the dream. His breathing went from slow normal sleeping breaths, to short hard gasps, almost as though he was running very fast. She quietly slipped off of the bed and walked over to his bedside. He began to shake. He was doing the same thing that he had done earlier in the library. He was already sweating and his breathing was starting to become very erratic. Hermione was worried that she wouldn't know whether or not he was in trouble. What was she expecting? Was he going to start thrashing his arms and legs? Would he start talking, maybe screaming for help? She hoped she would be able to tell.  
Harry was standing at the start of the long pathway and he could clearly see that the person was still there, and he seemed to be staring his direction again. He slowly began to walk towards the person carefully watching him for movement, or even to see if there was anyone else around him. The light was just too bright, however and it became difficult to make out anything else. When he got within a few meters he decided to break the silence.  
  
"Hello? Can you hear me?" Harry asked.  
  
"Hello Harry," the man replied.  
  
"Who are you?" Harry asked him.  
  
"Don't you recognize me Harry?"  
  
Harry took another step towards the man. He still couldn't see him well. He took one more. Then another. Now he could make out the man's face, but it wasn't a man. It was.  
  
"Cedric?" Harry asked.  
  
"Yes Harry?" he said.  
  
"Is this a dream?" Harry asked.  
  
"Yes and no Harry. I am here to warn you. Voldemort knows you are back at the school. He is planning on sending someone here to kill you Harry. You have to protect yourself."  
Hermione could see that Harry's dream was getting worse. He seemed to be shaking more violently and his breathing had turned into short, and quick systematic gasps. She was getting worried. She looked over at the water on the table by her bed, but then turned away. She was a nervous wreck. She was still stunned by the story Harry had told her. She knew that something bad had happened, but she had no idea that it had been that bad. She couldn't even think about the pain he must have gone through. She went over to her bed and grabbed the jug of water. She placed it on the table by Harry's glasses, and then lay down beside him on the bed. She felt the extreme heat from his body and could see the tiny beads of sweat forming all over his face. She wiped his forehead with the sleeve of her shirt and placed her arm over his chest. He was still shaking badly. She kept her arm there so that hopefully she would be able to judge by his breathing if it got any worse. It took her a moment before she realized that she was crying again.  
"Cedric, Voldemort is coming here to the school?" Harry asked.  
  
"No Harry, he is planning on sending someone to assassinate you. You brought my body back to my parents so I owe you this one last favor; this warning. You have to be careful. Tell Dumbledore someone is going to try to sneak in to the castle and kill you. Make sure he knows."  
  
"Cedric, how can you think you owe me anything? It's because of me that you were killed." Harry said.  
  
"Harry, listen to me very carefully. Voldemort is the reason I was killed, not you. He is becoming very powerful. He is defying laws that are both natural and supernatural. He must be stopped. Don't blame yourself Harry for any of this. You did exactly what I would have done and you were being both a good person and friend. Now take good care Harry and don't put yourself in any more danger than you have to. Walk back to the castle and get back in bed. I won't visit you again."  
  
Harry didn't say anything else. He stared at a smiling Cedric for a few seconds and then he simply turned around and walked out of the maze. Before he knew it, he was back in his dorm room. He took off his glasses, put them on the table, and got underneath the covers.  
Hermione noticed that Harry had slowly stopped shaking. She could tell that his breathing was back to normal. She used her sleeve again to wipe the sweat off of his face, and then settled back down and continued to lay by his side. In a matter of a few minutes they were both asleep. 


	11. The FoeGlass

Chapter 11 - The Foe-Glass  
  
Harry woke up to find Hermione lying asleep next to him on the bed. She was right up against him and he had his arm around her. It startled him at first but he didn't want to move and suddenly wake her up. He just laid there for a few minutes and listened to her breathing. Her head was on his chest and he could smell her hair because her head was just below his nose. He could tell that it was still really early, but he had just gotten the best nights rest he could remember. The dream was gone. He needed to talk to Dumbledore about what had happened. He needed to tell Ron and Hermione about the dream too. But for some reason, he didn't want to move. Something deep inside him made him stay right where he was. Maybe it was the fact that he hadn't really experienced any physical affection, other than the occasional hug from Ron's mom. Hermione was just his friend though. Why did he feel so happy when he woke up and realized they were holding on to each other?  
  
Harry didn't want to think about it anymore. He just wanted to enjoy this feeling. The dream being gone was a weight off of his shoulders. And he couldn't help but admit that he wasn't disturbed with Hermione lying there with him too. He closed his eyes and fell back asleep.  
An hour or so later Ron quietly opened the door to the fifth year dorm room and peeked inside. He stared in disbelief at what he saw. Hermione and Harry were in the same bed. They had their arms around one another and were both asleep. He couldn't help but just stare at them for a minute longer, before he quietly closed the door and went downstairs to grab some breakfast. He was really confused. He wasn't sure if he should be worried, jealous, mad or maybe even happy for his two best friends. Right now he was just feeling really confused.  
Later that morning, Hermione woke up and found herself cuddled up against Harry, and he had his arm around her. She raised her head and saw that he was sound asleep with his head just above her. She didn't know if she should try to get up or not because she wasn't sure what she was going to say if he accidentally woke up and found her in bed with him. But he had his arm around her. He had to have already known that she was there, and he obviously didn't mind it if he had his arm around her right? Despite the potential embarrassment, she couldn't help but let a smile creep on her face. Harry was sleeping and sleeping soundly. She was almost sure that this particular nightmare problem was gone. But she was still stuck. She didn't know what to do about her situation. She had to admit that it felt almost comfortable having her head on Harry's chest and his arm around her. For some reason she felt like she was keeping him safe and he was doing the same for her. But it was all very confusing. Half of her wanted to stay right where she was. The other half wanted to get out of the room fast without being noticed. But Harry's breathing changed suddenly and she knew that he must have just woken up.  
  
"Hermione? Are you awake?" Harry said  
  
She felt his arm that was around her tighten just a bit. She was stuck. She didn't have time to think about what to do anymore. She wanted to pretend that she was still asleep, but then she knew she had to face him at some point.  
  
She looked up and caught his eyes. She had never really noticed how green they were. He was smiling at her.  
  
"Hermione, I had the dream again. Dumbledore was right. He was trying to warn me. He said he won't be back again."  
  
"Harry, that's great," she said quietly still sounding half asleep. She wanted to ask him more details about the dream but the awkwardness of the situation stopped her.  
  
Hermione rolled away from him and looked up at the clock. It was 10:30 in the morning.  
  
"We slept a long time Harry. Did you sleep okay?" she asked him.  
  
"After the dream, I slept great. I haven't had a night's sleep that good in a month," he said.  
  
Hermione stood up and grabbed the book she was reading last night off of the table. "I'm going to go change, and then I'll meet you down for breakfast," she said as sheheaded for the door.  
  
"Okay, see you in a bit," Harry said.  
  
Harry sat there in bed for a minute. His heart was racing. He wasn't quite sure how to read Hermione. Was she mad at him, or upset with herself for falling asleep with him? He really hoped that she wasn't. He didn't want to jeopardize their friendship and he especially didn't want things to be awkward between them. He got up out of bed and changed out of his pajamas. When he went down to the common room Ron was sitting there reading the Daily Prophet.  
  
"Anything good in there?" Harry asked stretching.  
  
Ron looked up at him for a second then back down at the paper.  
  
"Nope. Not really," he mumbled.  
  
"Well?" Harry asked Ron expecting him to ask about the nightmare.  
  
"Well what?" Ron said plainly.  
  
"Don't you want to know what happened with the nightmare?" Harry asked him.  
  
"I figured everything went fine. I went to check on you this morning and saw you and Hermione asleep. You didn't look like you were having a bad dream at all." Ron said.  
  
Harry felt his stomach drop for a second. He wasn't quite sure what to say. Ron had seen them and it obviously bothered him. But Harry wasn't going to apologize and he felt a bit annoyed that he was getting a cold shoulder from Ron.  
  
"What do you mean by that Ron? You think something is up with me and Hermione because we fell asleep together?" Harry said sternly.  
  
"You didn't just fall asleep together Harry. She was under the covers with you, and you had your arms around each other," Ron said still looking at the paper.  
  
"Ron I had the bloody dream. She was probably worried about me. I didn't even know she was there until this morning. She probably just didn't want to get too far away from me in case she had to throw water on me. Then she probably got cold and just fell asleep. What's the big deal?" Harry said coolly.  
  
"No big deal at all Harry. None at all. I just thought if you liked each other you would at least have said something to me." Ron said.  
  
"I don't like her Ron. I mean, I do, but ... You are really making me mad. I don't understand your problem. It's not like we were up kissing all night last night. We agreed she was going to stay in there remember? You're acting like she's your girlfriend or something." Harry said.  
  
Ron didn't say anything. He just kept reading his paper.  
  
Harry wanted to change the subject. "Where's Meagan?" he asked.  
  
"With her mom somewhere," Ron said quickly.  
  
Harry didn't want to push this anymore. He needed to get something to eat. He was well rested and his appetite was coming back in full force.  
  
"Well I'm going to get something to eat and then I need to go see Dumbledore. I know he wants to hear about my dream. I'll see you in a bit," Harry said.  
  
Ron was still pretending to read his paper and didn't look or speak to Harry.  
  
Harry just shook his head and headed to the kitchen for breakfast. After he walked out, Hermione slowly walked back into her dorm room. She had been standing just outside it listening to Ron and Harry's conversation. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to go down and eat breakfast, but she didn't want to be confronted by Ron especially how he just treated Harry. She also didn't want to hurry past him because that might upset him even more.  
  
She stared at herself in the mirror for a few seconds.  
  
"This is stupid!" she said to herself in the mirror. Harry was right. They had just fallen asleep together. She was cold. She got under the covers. No harm done.  
  
She walked down the stairs and into the common room and said good morning to Ron.  
  
"Good morning," Ron said, "Sleep well?"  
  
"I didn't get much sleep at all Ron. I stayed up so Harry could have his dream remember?" she said coolly.  
  
Ron didn't say anything and the silence was very uncomfortable. Hermione decided to break it and hopefully get out of there.  
  
"Well I am going to get some breakfast. You want me to bring you anything back?" she asked him.  
  
"Oh, no thanks. I got up hours ago and ate breakfast. I didn't sleep in like you and Harry." Ron said smartly.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.  
  
"Oh nothing. I was just saying I didn't get to sleep in like you and Harry," he repeated again.  
  
Hermione fumed. "I know you saw us asleep Ron, but you don't have to be an ass about it," she said furiously.  
  
"An ass? What do you mean? How am I being an ass? Did I say anything? No!" Ron said throwing the paper down on the table.  
  
Hermione threw herself down in the chair across from Ron. "It was an accident Ron. I didn't mean to fall asleep by him."  
  
Her voice was quivering and Ron knew that he had upset her and that wasn't his intention.  
  
"Hermione, its fine. I don't care. Really. I just thought you guys would have told me, that's all," Ron said.  
  
"Told you what Ron? I just told you. It was an accident. He was having the dream last night and I got really scared. I laid down beside him because he was shaking so bad. The next thing I knew, I woke up this morning and we were both asleep."  
  
"Hermione, I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it, I swear, I was just a bit mad because I thought you guys were trying to hide something from me I guess. It's really none of my business anyway." Ron said.  
  
"Of course it's your business. You're our friend," she said. "I am just really confused Ron. I hope Harry isn't mad at me too," she said in a worried voice.  
  
Ron thought for a second and then shook his head.  
  
"I'm not mad at you. And I would bet that Harry isn't either. He's probably mad at me though. I was an ass to him," he said with remorse.  
  
Hermione stared at him for a second then looked down at the floor.  
  
"Ron?" Hermione said softly. "He talked to me last night, about what happened."  
  
"About the dream?" Ron asked.  
  
"No, about that night. The night when Cedric died," she said softly.  
Harry used the secret passage down to the kitchen and got a few pieces of toast and a large goblet of orange juice. Harry ate it while Dobby made Winky model the clothes that he had made and given her for her birthday. It was a robe that looked as though it had been made with about fifty different colors of cloth. Harry talked with them both for a few more minutes expecting to see Hermione come in for some food. After he decided she may be running late, he decided to see if Dumbledore was in his office. It was time to go and tell him about the nightmare.  
Ron sat and listened to Hermione recall the story that Harry had finally told her the night before. She knew that Harry probably wanted Ron to know the details, but she also knew how hard it was for him to recall it. She didn't think he would mind if she took that burden off of him. Ron almost didn't blink the entire time. When she got to the point where Harry was hit with the Cruciatus Curse, Ron looked down at the floor in utter disbelief. Hermione could tell that it was more than Ron had expected, and she stopped for a second.  
  
"Dad told me that Wormtail took a knife and cut his arm open and used a cup of his blood to resurrect You-Know-Who. They said that it was a very powerful dark magic that he used that blood for. Dad said that Dumbledore thinks he is probably more powerful now than the night he fell." Ron said.  
  
"Ron, Voldemort made Wormtail give Harry his wand back so they could dual." Hermione said.  
  
Hermione went on with the rest of the story word for word, exactly how Harry had told it the night before. When she was done she and Ron stared at one another for what seemed like an eternity. They had both finally known what their best friend had gone though and it was horrible. Ron didn't think he could look at Harry the same way. He wasn't sure if he felt pity, horror, or even admiration for what he had experienced. He wondered what he would have done in the same situation, and he couldn't help but think that he would have probably died. He would have been scared to duel with most of the seventh year students, much less Voldemort. He felt very foolish and guilty at the way he treated his friend just a few minutes before. He knew that what Harry needed more than anything was understanding and most of all patience and he didn't give him either.  
  
"Harry left to go get some breakfast then he was going to see Dumbledore to tell him about the dream. Do you know what he found out?" he asked.  
  
"No, other than he did say that it was over and he knew it wouldn't be back. I am going to go look for him. You want to come?" she asked him.  
  
"I think I'll just wait for him to come back Hermione."  
  
Ron felt so badly about the way he acted towards finding Hermione and Harry asleep together. He had been thinking about it all morning and he had decided that what made him mad was the fact that he thought they had been hiding something from him, but that turned out to be not true at all. He believed the fact that they didn't plan any of that. He smiled to himself for a second. He thought about how nice it would be to wake up and see Meagan sleeping beside him.  
Harry had made his way up to Dumbledore's office, but he wasn't there. He went back down the staircase and when he got there Moody was waiting for him.  
  
"Any more of those dreams Potter?" Moody asked.  
  
Harry was a bit surprised, but then he realized that it was possible that Dumbledore had taken the warning seriously and had already informed Moody.  
  
"Um, yes sir. Actually I had one last night and I was coming up to tell Dumbledore about it." Harry told him.  
  
"Dumbledore had to take care of some business this morning. Do you mind coming to my office? I would like to hear about this dream," He said with what resembled an attempt at a smile.  
  
Harry just nodded and had to slow down his walk a bit to pace with Moody. He could tell that this Moody didn't get around quite as good as the fake Couch-Moody that was around last year. But the magical eye moved around just the same and it still gave Harry the creeps.  
  
"Potter, I have your map you know. I found it hidden in my trunk. I assume that Crouch took it from you when he was walking around pretending to be me. I took it to Dumbledore and he told me that your father and his friends made it years ago. I have seen what it does and I would love to be able to use it for the summer if you don't mind," He said in almost a growl.  
  
"No problem at all sir." Harry said.  
  
"Don't call me sir Potter. Do I look like a knight to you Potter?" he asked.  
  
"Um, no sir, I mean Professor, sorry," Moody said.  
  
"I ain't really a professor either Potter. You can call me Moody if ya like," He said.  
  
When they got to Moody's office he stood outside of the door and was obviously looking inside with his magical eye to make sure that no one was hiding on the other side of the door. When they were finally inside, Moody sat down at his desk and motioned for Harry to do the same.  
  
Harry told Moody all about his dream and how Cedric had told him that it was a last favor to Harry. Moody didn't seem too interested in the sentimental parts of the story, or even amazed at the fact that someone who was dead had contacted him in a dream. He was extremely interested however, in the fact that someone was planning on coming to the castle to kill him.  
  
"Bloody Death Eaters. They are nothing more than the weakest of all us wizards Potter." Moody said.  
  
Harry had always considered the Death Eaters powerfully evil. He was scared of what they could do, but he had never considered them as weak before.  
  
"It takes a weak mind and a weak soul to let someone push you around the way those bloody Death Eaters let Voldemort do them. They had no idea what they were getting into. At first they just thought they'd get a shot at being powerful and thought they would get to rule villages and people and such. They had no idea that they'd be nothing more than pawns in his game. Now they are all too afraid to break away from. You know. You seen em. They probably messed themselves the moment that ink spot on their arms went black. It's true some of em got to have some fun every once in a while. But he always hurts em, and humiliates em in the end. If it were me, I'd rather die than let any man tell me how to live my life."  
  
Harry thought about what Moody had said. He had never thought about the Death-Eaters that way, but it certainly made some sense. He remembered that even Malfoy was shaking from fear and kissing Voldemort's cloak when he thought that he was about to be punished. Moody took a swig from his hip flask and then stared at his foe-glass. There were several dark shadows in there. He remembered the Crouch-Moody telling him about how you didn't have to worry about them until you could see the whites of their eyes. Moody saw Harry looking into the foe-glass and his real eye lit up while the magical one started spinning in the back of his head.  
  
"Potter, I tell you what. You let me use that map, so it's only fair for me to give you my extra foe-glass. It's not quite as big as that one. I had to get me a new one. My eye ain't what it used to be. I'll tell Dumbledore about your dream when he gets back this afternoon."  
  
"Thank you sir." Harry said quickly and then caught himself. "I mean, thanks," he said smiling.  
  
Moody flicked his wand and the smaller foe-glass came floating out of one of the closets behind him. He looked at the mirror and took out his wand and quickly muttered something that ended with Harry's name. He then took it and rolled it towards Harry.  
  
"There ya go Potter. It's all yours."  
  
"Thanks" Harry said. "Umm, Moody? What do I do if I see someone in their clearly?" Harry asked reluctantly.  
  
"Get your wand out and be ready. If you can see their face, and see who it is, either kill em, or stay away from em," Harry could tell immediately that he wasn't kidding.  
Hermione had made her way down to the kitchen and was told by Dobby that Harry had already come and gone. After thanking them all and taking some food, she went looking for him. After last night, she knew that it was going to be a bit weird at first to talk with him. But she refused to avoid him. She knew that they were both mature enough to handle the fact that they had simply fallen asleep together. After a small search of the castle including a look in the library, she decided to head back to the common room.  
  
Harry had used his wand to levitate the mirror from Moody's office all the way back to the outside of the common room. He was going to need help getting it through the portrait hole however. He went in and found Ron skimming through one of his new Chudley Cannons books still sitting on the same couch. Harry didn't think that Ron would be willing to help him, but he seemed to be the only one around. Ron put his book down immediately and stood up when he saw Harry walking towards him.  
  
"Harry, look, I'm sorry about this morning." He said quickly.  
  
"Don't worry about it Ron. I know it probably looked bad," he said.  
  
"No Harry, it was really stupid of me to be an ass like that. I was just a bit surprised and well."  
  
"Ron don't worry about it." He said again. "Can you help me with something really fast?" Harry asked him.  
  
"Sure." Ron said.  
  
"Help me lift this mirror through the door outside here?" Harry said walking to the painting. "It's a foe-glass that Moody is letting me borrow." Harry said.  
  
Ron smiled, "Dad says that Moody has these things in just about every room of his house."  
  
Ron and Harry angled the mirror so that it would fit through the opening into the common room. They accidentally hit the side of the Fat Lady's frame with it and she let out a large scream as though they had thrown a large bottle of magical mess remover on her. They both laughed through their apologies and sat the mirror down in the middle of the common room. It was upright and Harry had his first real look at it since it was given to him.  
  
He saw a single shadowy figure way in the distance and it had a slow sway to it like it was slowly moving towards him. Harry got a chill down his spine at the sight of this. Ron was sitting back on the couch and Harry turned around slowly and sat next to him. Both of them sat there and looked at it as though they were watching a television set. Ron stared at the shadowed figure for a second and then looked as though he had swallowed something sick all of a sudden.  
  
"Do you reckon that's You-Know-Who?" he asked Harry in whimpering voice.  
  
"Who else would it be Ron?" Harry said quietly as though he didn't want the mirror to hear him.  
  
Just then Hermione came back into the common room.  
  
"There you are Harry!" she said.  
  
Before she could say anything else though, she stopped and turned around to see what they were both staring at.  
  
"Is this a foe-glass?" she asked looking at them both.  
  
Neither one of them looked at her. They were both just staring at the glass. Ron finally spoke up.  
  
"Yeah it is. Moody gave it to Harry." Ron said slowly.  
  
"I've read about these. If you see people in the mirror, they are supposed to be your..." she suddenly stopped.  
  
She realized that there was a cloudy figure the mirror. She slowly walked backwards to the couch and sat down next to Ron never taking her eyes off of the mirror.  
  
"That's him isn't it?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Yeah." Ron said.  
  
Harry didn't say a word. 


	12. Quidditch

Chapter 12 - Quidditch  
  
All three continued staring at the figure in the mirror until Ron threw one of the couch pillows at it causing it to slide back enough to where they no longer could see it clearly.  
  
"That thing is giving me the creeps." Ron said loudly.  
  
"Yeah, I know." Harry said.  
  
"Harry," Hermione said, "what happened with your dream?"  
  
"Yeah! What happened?" Ron added.  
  
"I was back at the Quidditch field and I was running through the maze." Harry said. "The dreams where you two found me, I could see someone in the middle of the maze, and when Hermione woke me up I had just gotten to talk to him, but I still couldn't see who it was. Last night, he was back, and I got close enough to see his face." Harry said.  
  
"Who was it?" Hermione asked softly.  
  
"It was Cedric Diggory." Harry stopped after he said his name, then we went on.  
  
"He came into my dream to warn me. He said that Voldemort was sending someone to the school to kill me. He said that he owed me a favor because I got him back to his parents." Harry stopped for a second.  
  
"He also said that I," he stopped again.  
  
"That you what?" Ron asked quickly.  
  
"That I stop blaming myself for his death." Harry paused again.  
  
"He said that Voldemort was to blame and that I should never forget that." Harry said.  
  
"He's right Harry." Hermione said.  
  
Ron agreed with her by nodding his head at Harry. They knew that Harry had been hard on himself the past several weeks. They knew that he hadn't been eating or sleeping well and that the issue with Cedric's death had been most of the reason.  
  
"Harry, did he say anything more about who was going to try to kill you?" Hermione asked.  
  
"No. No real details. I told Moody this morning. Dumbledore had already talked to him about it though. He didn't seem too surprised. It's almost as though they are waiting for it. I think they have already started working on it," Harry said.  
  
"So are you ready to help me with Quidditch now?" Ron asked hopefully.  
  
"Ron, did you not just hear him? Someone is planning to come here and try to kill him. Do you think he wants to go outside and make it easy for them?" She said loudly.  
  
"Hermione, settle down. I'd like to see a Death-Eater that can catch me on a broom." Harry said with a smile on his face.  
  
She couldn't argue with that. She figured Harry was probably safer on a broom that he was anywhere else. Not even the Horn-Tail could get to him.  
  
"You come too Hermione. I'd like to see you shoot a few goals." Ron said as he winked at Harry.  
  
Hermione had never attempted to play Quidditch. She knew she wouldn't be that good at it, and she wasn't about to let the whole school see her not do well at something. But the whole school wasn't here, and if Ron and Harry made fun of her, she could just curse them.  
  
On their way down to the Quidditch field, they ran into Meagan and her mother. After a short conversation about their trip into Hogsmeade, and a quick update on Harry's dream, Meagan said bye to her mother and headed to the Quidditch field with them.  
  
Ron was anxious to get down there, and since he had started a conversation with Meagan about Quidditch rules, she had to almost run just to keep up with him. Harry and Hermione didn't walk as fast as they did, so it wasn't long before they had some distance between them.  
  
"Will you make sure I don't make a fool out of myself Harry?" Hermione asked him.  
  
"You won't Hermione. Just stick to the school broom. I'll pick you a good one. They don't go very fast," he said.  
  
"You just make sure you catch me if I fall off," she said smiling.  
  
"I'll do my best," he said as he smiled back at her.  
  
Harry was excited about having his Firebolt in his hand. He hadn't flown it in a while and it always made him feel so carefree. He accompanied Hermione into the locker room and picked her a stable school broom that she could fly on. He also grabbed a Quaffle so that he and Ron could shoot goals. He carried it and Hermione's broom down to the field for her, and when they got there Ron was already in the air with Meagan looking up at him in amazement.  
  
"That is unbelievable," Meagan said still looking up at Ron. "I've read about flying on brooms before, but I had no idea that they were actually that fast."  
  
"Wait until you see Harry," Hermione said with a hint of competition in her voice.  
  
Harry blushed when she said it. He smiled at her, then kicked off the ground and was fifty feet in the air before either of them could even blink.  
  
"Oh wow!" Meagan said. "Isn't that a bit dangerous?" she asked Hermione.  
  
"If it were you or I, it might be. But for Harry it's just like running. He made the Gryffindor house team in just his first year," she said proudly.  
  
"Ron wants to try out for the team too, he told me yesterday." Meagan said.  
  
Harry felt better than he had in a long time. As he raced faster and higher he almost seemed to leave every single worry he had behind him on the ground. He didn't know exactly why he always felt so good when he flew. Maybe it was because someone was always trying to kill him it seemed, and he was right when he told Hermione that he'd like to see a Death-Eater catch him on a broom. Hell he'd like to see Voldemort or anyone for that matter try to catch him on a broom.  
  
Harry went back down the ground after a few minutes and grabbed the Quaffle. He yelled at Ron to guard the goals, while he threw a few shots his way. Ron was actually pretty good. That was one good thing about being the youngest brother. When it came to sports you always had plenty of experience from your brothers, not to mention the competition to just survive when playing with them. Harry wasn't too bad with the Quaffle either. Even though his expertise had to do with capturing the Snitch, the fact that he was simply an unbelievable flyer made him successful at just about every position. Ron was beginning to get really tired, and Harry's speed almost made him fall off of his broom more than a couple of times. Harry scored a few goals, but Ron stopped most of them, and did a good job doing it.  
  
After his last throw, Ron flew up to Harry and was very winded. "Harry, this is great. I need this kind of practice. You think I might have a real shot at making keeper?" Ron asked.  
  
"Probably so Ron, you'll have some competition from Bradley who used to back up Wood, but if we keep working this summer, I'd say you have a good shot." Harry said.  
  
"Let's go down and talk to the girls," Ron said still a bit out of breath.  
  
They went down to find Hermione and Meagan in a quiet conversation that abruptly ended when the two of them touched down.  
  
"What were you too talking about?" Ron asked with a smile on his face.  
  
"None of your business Ron, just girl talk," said Hermione.  
  
Meagan let out a small laugh then said, "So are you going to show me how to fly on that thing or not?"  
  
"Sure." Ron said. "Come hop on behind me. I'll let you get the feel of it, then we can switch and you can fly."  
  
Meagan reluctantly climbed on Ron's broom, and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Not too fast Ron," she said quickly.  
  
"Don't worry. You're in good hands." Ron said smiling at Harry and Hermione as they slowly took off from the ground.  
  
"You think she's safe up there with him?" Hermione asked Harry.  
  
"She'll be fine, as long as he doesn't try to show off. He's really a good flier," Harry said.  
  
"Not as good as you." Hermione said smiling.  
  
"Thanks Hermione," He said. That was twice in one day she had made him blush.  
  
They both watched Ron and Meagan as they slowly flew higher into the air. Meagan seemed to be squeezing Ron tightly, obviously still very afraid of being up there. After a few minutes she seemed to be enjoying it more and then they both came back down and Ron let her get in front to fly.  
  
"Okay, now just hold it tight when your knees just like you were before, and when I kick us off, lean forward just a bit," Ron said.  
  
Meagan seemed to love her first real flying experience. Harry and Hermione could hear her laughing and talking to Ron loudly as she got braver and went higher into the air.  
  
"She seems to really be enjoying that," Hermione said.  
  
"Yeah she does. Why haven't you been up there?" Harry asked.  
  
"I don't know. I'm just not very good at it Harry," she said.  
  
"You haven't flown that much Hermione. You need to practice a bit that's all. Come on, I'll go up with you."  
  
"I can't keep up with you Harry."  
  
"I'll go slow and stay beside you."  
  
Hermione shook her head but knew that Harry wasn't going to take no for an answer. The truth was that she had rarely flown much at all since their flying lessons back in their first year. Every once in an while over the last few years she came down here from time to time and would fly, but she would never get more than a few feet off of the ground.  
  
Hermione slowly took off from the ground and looked very unstable. Harry shook his head to himself and took off to fly beside her.  
  
"Hermione, you're hunched forward too far." Harry barked at her. "And your hands are spread too far apart on the handle," he added.  
  
"Harry, I don't know what you mean," She said loudly while looking down at her hands.  
  
He flew up beside her and instructed her to stop. After she did, he showed her what she was doing wrong and what she needed to do to correct it.  
  
"Hold on a sec," he said to her mid-sentence, and then he jumped from his Firebolt to her broom and landed straddling her broom directly behind her. His Firebolt stayed hovering perfectly in the spot where he left it. She screamed when she felt him jump.  
  
"Harry! What are you doing? We are thirty feet up in the air and you're going to make us fall!"  
  
"Hermione, we're fine. Listen to me. Don't slouch so much, and pull your hands closer together."  
  
He grabbed her shoulders and made her sit up a bit straighter. He then reached under her arms and grabbed them at the elbows and fixed the positioning of her hands.  
  
"You'll have much more control this way and you won't be so shaky," he said.  
  
"Now start flying forward and don't change direction for a while," he said.  
  
They flew forward for about thirty seconds before Harry spoke again.  
  
"She how smooth it is? When your body's in that other position, your center of gravity isn't right."  
  
Hermione couldn't believe how well she was flying. It was just a couple of simple things that she had been doing wrong and he pointed them out right away.  
  
"Now speed up a bit and make a slow turn." Harry instructed.  
  
Hermione didn't know if she was ready for that, but Harry's hands were on her waist and she felt a bit braver with him there with her. She began to slowly pick up her speed then she leaned into a slight turn.  
  
"Lean just slightly above the waste. If you use the lower part of your body for the lean, you'll become less stable. You only have to do that for the really hard turns."  
  
She straightened up again and picked up her speed. She felt Harry up close behind her and she was more aware of his hands.  
  
"Okay now try again. Just lean with this part," he said as he guided her just above her waist. She felt what he meant as she went into a nice smooth turn and never once felt off-balance.  
  
"Harry! That's great! You're teaching me how to fly! Let's go a big higher," she said.  
  
Just then Meagan and Ron came along side them on Ron's broom.  
  
"Harry, do you mind if I ride your Firebolt for a second? I think Meagan is ready to have a go by herself on mine and I want to ride along side her in case she needs help." Ron said.  
  
"No problem. It's just back there a hundred meters or so." Harry said pointing.  
  
"Hermione you look like you're doing good!" Meagan said as she and Ron turned around and headed towards Harry's broom.  
  
"Thanks!" she said smiling.  
  
She began to climb a bit doing small turns as she rose higher into the air. Every once in a while Harry would give her a small instruction. It wasn't long before they were over a hundred feet up.  
  
Hermione stopped and looked back at the castle.  
  
"This is great Harry. Thanks for helping me. I never knew how pretty everything was from up here," she said glancing back at him.  
  
"Me neither," Harry said, but he wasn't looking at the scenery.  
Ron was flying along side of Meagan while she attempted her first solo broom flight. She was a bit shaky at first, but it wasn't long before she steadied up a bit.  
  
"You are doing great Meagan," Ron said. He was very proud of his pupil. "Look up there, Hermione has been flying for years and she is still afraid to go up by herself. It only took you one day."  
  
Meagan blushed a bit, then got a wild urge to take off very fast. Ron was surprised by this but obviously on Harry's Firebolt he had absolutely no problem staying with her.  
  
"I can't believe how much fun this is," Meagan said smiling at Ron after she slowed down.  
  
"Follow me for a second Meagan, I want to show you a few places." Ron said.  
  
Ron didn't fly too high or too fast. He didn't want Meagan to have any problems keeping up with him. Plus he was playing tour guide and was talking when he had something to point out. He flew around and showed her Hagrid's cabin, the Forbidden Forest, and the Whomping Willow. He even showed her one of the large marks on the Willow where he and Harry had hit is with his dad's car a few years ago.  
  
"Thank you Ron. Today has been great. I have had a lot of fun," she said smiling.  
  
"Me too," Ron said.  
  
"Meagan, can I ask you something? And. you don't have to answer if you don't want to."  
  
"Ask me what Ron?"  
  
"Do you.I mean. did you have a boyfriend back in the States?" Ron said as his face was becoming visibly redder. He thought he maybe shouldn't have asked that, but he couldn't resist. She was just too beautiful. Her brown hair was just a big lighter than Hermione's, but it wasn't just her hair, it was her eyes too. There was something about them. They were the bluest eyes Ron had ever seen and he couldn't stop staring at them.  
  
Meagan smiled at him for a second after he asked that and then pulled her broom right beside him. She then leaned in and kissed him. 


	13. Snape's Report

Chapter 13 - Snape's Report  
  
After the Quidditch session the group went back to the castle to clean up and get ready for dinner. When they went into the Great Hall, Snape, Moody, Dumbledore, and Lupin were all up at the head table having dinner. Meagan's mother Professor Livingston was down below them having dinner with Madam Pomfrey at one of the house tables. Ron, Hermione, Meagan and Harry joined them down there.  
  
"Hey you guys," Professor Livingston said to the group. "I saw all of you down at the Quidditch field earlier. I suppose you all taught Meagan how to ride a broom?"  
  
"She's a natural Professor," Ron said smiling.  
  
"It was so much fun mom. How come you never told me about Quidditch? I can't wait to see a real game. It's got to be the best thing in the world to watch."  
  
Meagan's mother just looked at her with a bit of surprise on her face. She had no idea that something like that would have ever interested her daughter.  
  
"I told you about Quidditch before I'm sure. I probably didn't explain the whole game to you, but I am sure I mentioned something about it to you a time or two didn't I?" She asked.  
  
"I think I would have remembered it mom, anyway, Harry is on the house team, and you should see him fly! Ron is going to try out for the open spot on the team this year. Mom, you have to let me buy a broom. Flying is the most unbelievable thing in the world." Meagan said.  
  
"Honey why don't you catch your breath and get some dinner?" she said. "I see you three are keeping her busy. Hermione from what I hear you are quite the student. Maybe you and Meagan can start on some OWL studying," she said looking at her daughter.  
  
"Yes ma'am, I already have the study guides in our common room from the library. I started on them last night. We can begin going over them tomorrow." Hermione said anxiously.  
  
Ron looked at the table and surveyed the food. He was starving from all of that Quidditch, and he knew between he and Harry, there wasn't near enough food there. "Dobby?" Ron said loudly.  
  
Dobby appeared with a pop right beside him. "Wheezy! What can Dobby get you and your friends?" he said smiling.  
  
"Dobby, just bring us whatever you have made down there, don't go to any trouble okay?" Harry said.  
  
"Trouble? How could it possibly be any trouble sir? Harry Potter is the greatest wizard Dobby has ever known. Dobby is forever indebted to Harry Potter. Harry Potter could never trouble Dobby to bring he and his friends anything, anything at all sir," he said and popped out of site.  
  
The next thing they knew, the entire table was covered with every food they could think of. Madam Pomfrey and Professor Livingston almost spit out the food they were eating when they saw the table absolutely covered in front of them.  
  
"He must really like you Harry," Meagan said with a large smile as she dug into a steaming dish of roast beef.  
  
Harry blushed a bit then started to fill his plate. They all chatted back and forth all through dinner, and when they had all stuffed themselves silly, the table was magically cleared of all of their dirty dishes.  
  
Dumbledore and his group sat up at the table drinking from their goblets and engaging in hushed conversations.  
  
Harry and Ron were talking about the Gryffindor Quidditch team when Dumbledore stood up from where he sat.  
  
"Harry? Can you join us up here for a bit?" Dumbledore asked.  
  
Harry nodded at him and then after a quick glance at Ron and Hermione, he walked up to the head table.  
  
"Yes Sir?" Harry said as he reached the table.  
  
"Harry, Alastor has told me that your dream came to a conclusion last night."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
"Snape has confirmed what the dream said to be true. I must ask that you exercise caution inside the school. Do not walk around alone at night. Take your wand with you always. I must also ask that you don't travel to Hogsmeade until we have more information regarding this attack. I won't worry you with details Harry, but I will tell you that we are working to do what we can to keep you and the others safe."  
  
"Thank you sir, thank you all." Harry said looking over Snape, Moody and Lupin.  
  
"That is all Harry, thank you." Dumbledore said.  
  
Harry went back to join the others at the table below.  
  
"Are you sure you want to go through with this Headmaster?" Snape asked Dumbledore.  
  
"Severus, I am sure. I do not see any other way. There aren't many people that know about that passage way. It is one of the only ones that has remained undiscovered by myself or even Filtch for that matter. If you leak it to the death eaters that it's a safe way in, we can lead the assassin to us, and hopefully capture someone who can help us in our fight." Dumbledore said.  
  
"Do you not think that we might be divulging too much with that entrance Headmaster?" Snape said again.  
  
"Severus, either way the passage is still there. Pettigrew knows about it I can assure you. If we know that the Death Eaters know of its existence, and also that they think that we do not, that takes one more variable out of the equation does it not?" Dumbledore said.  
  
"Yes sir, you are right. I will move forward with the plan. I will send word." Snape said as he got up from the table.  
  
"Severus?" Dumbledore said to him as he was leaving. "Do be careful."  
  
Snape walked past the table that Harry and the others were sitting at. He had a nasty look on his face, but the glance he shot at Harry seemed almost worrisome.  
  
"What was that about?" Ron whispered to Harry.  
  
"I don't really know Ron, but I can tell you that it doesn't look good. I'll tell you more when we get to the common room." Harry said.  
  
Later that night the four of them played games until they were all very tired and ready for bed. Hermione said goodnight to Harry and Ron and she and Meagan walked up to their dorm room to go to bed. Harry and Ron stayed behind for a minute.  
  
"So what's up Harry?" Ron asked him.  
  
"Snape found out something about Voldemort's plan to send someone to kill me. I am sure that Dumbledore asked him to go back and find out more information." Harry said.  
  
"What did he find out?" Ron asked.  
  
"I don't know for sure. Dumbledore said he didn't want to worry me with it. He just asked that I don't go out of our common room by myself."  
  
"That's no problem, you hardly ever do anyway. That reminds me, you never did get to the library today did you?"  
  
"No I didn't. I'll go tomorrow. There are some things I need to find out."  
  
"I'll help you. I don't feel like starting OWL studying. It's summer after all!" Ron said.  
  
"You don't have to help me if you don't want to. Besides, you need to work on your flying. Your keeper instincts are good Ron, you just need to work on your conditioning. You remember what good shape Wood was in right?"  
  
"Yeah I do. And I will Harry. I want to make the team bad. I'm going to bed, you coming?"  
  
Harry looked down at the daily prophet that was lying on the table and picked it up. "I think I am going to look through this a bit Ron, I'll be up in a minute."  
  
"Okay, but don't stay up too late. I bet if I were Hermione you'd come up with me in a heartbeat!" he said playfully.  
  
"Keep off that Ron?" Harry said with a commanding voice.  
  
"I'm just kidding. Harry I really don't care if you like her. She's really great you know?" Ron said.  
  
"I know she's great." Harry said picking up the paper. "Goodnight Ron."  
  
"Goodnight Harry."  
  
Harry opened up the paper and sat down. He really didn't want to read it, but he didn't feel like going to bed right away. He wanted some time to himself for some reason, plus he wasn't used to the great night of sleep he got the night before so he really wasn't that tired. He sat the paper down and looked at the Foe-Glass. It was facing the wrong direction and Harry couldn't see its reflection. He got up, walked over to it and spun it around. The shadowy figure seemed to be a bit closer than it was this morning, but it was still far away, and Harry couldn't make out any of its features. He felt some rage come over him looking at the image. He hated being afraid and the figure in the mirror was frightening him.  
  
"I.am.not.afraid.of.you," he said in a voice that was very serious.  
  
"I.am.not.afraid.of.you," he repeated it again and suddenly the mirror shook and then popped and spider web like cracks engulfed it. It was broken so badly that the image inside of it could no longer be seen.  
  
"Harry?"  
  
Harry turned around and saw Hermione looking down on him from just outside her dorm room.  
  
"Are you okay?" she asked.  
  
"I'm fine Hermione. I accidentally broke this mirror. I threw another pillow at it but I threw it too hard I guess," he lied.  
  
"I saw you Harry. You broke it, but you didn't throw a pillow at it," she said.  
  
"I know. I'm sorry. It's just cracked I don't think there is any glass on the floor. I'll fix it tomorrow," he said.  
  
"Will you come up here for a second?" Hermione asked softly.  
  
Harry looked at her, then back to the mirror. He turned it around and pushed it back up against the wall, and then walked up to where Hermione was.  
  
When he got up by her, she took a step towards him and gave him a hug. He was a bit surprised, but almost immediately put his arms around her to return it.  
  
"You need to be careful when you get angry. Your magic gets really powerful and you can't control it. Remember what you did to your Aunt that time?" she said still holding onto him.  
  
"Yeah I know. I'll be careful."  
  
"Harry? Should I apologize for last night?" she asked him.  
  
"Did you mean to fall asleep with me?" he asked.  
  
"I thought I didn't Harry, but now I am not so sure. It's all twisted in my head now." She said. They were still hugging each other and her head was just under his chin.  
  
"Are you sorry now that you did it?" Harry asked.  
  
"Not if you aren't."  
  
"I'm not," Harry said quickly. And he felt her arms tighten around him.  
  
"Harry? I want to kiss you but I am really afraid to."  
  
"I know Hermione. Maybe we shouldn't. I have always felt like I could talk to you, so I have to tell you that it felt really good waking up with you this morning. And this afternoon on the broom..."  
  
"I know Harry."  
  
"Hermione, I just don't want to screw up our friendship. There are some things I haven't told you about me that I found out from Dumbledore. I can't really talk to you about them right now because I don't know all of the details yet myself. But I want you to know that I need you around me. I have to have you around me, and if something were to happen that screws up our friendship. I just.I can't allow that to happen. I have too many things to worry about and I just can't have that happen," he said.  
  
"Harry, maybe you're right. I love you Harry, but. I know you're right."  
  
She let go of him and kissed him on the cheek. "Goodnight Harry."  
  
She then walked back into her dorm room.  
  
Harry stood there and stared at the door as it closed with her behind it. He then looked down at the floor and turned to go to bed.  
  
When he got into his dorm, the lights were off. He changed into his pajamas and went to the bathroom and washed his face. He then got into bed, pulled the covers over him and stared at a dark ceiling.  
  
"Harry, you okay?" Ron asked him.  
  
"Ron, why does everything have to be so complicated?"  
  
"I don't know Harry. Try not to worry though. It's not going to do you any good you know. There are things we can change and things we can't. Just concentrate on the things you can change."  
  
Harry thought about those words for a second. That just might have been the wisest thing that had ever come out of Ron's mouth. Harry went over them a few more times in his head. 'Concentrate on the things you can change,' not bad he thought.  
  
"You're right Ron, thanks. You up for more Quidditch tomorrow afternoon?"  
  
"Probably so, but Meagan and I are going to go into Hogsmeade sometime tomorrow. I am going to show her some of the things my brothers have invented in the joke shop."  
  
"I think she really likes you Ron."  
  
"I know she does. She kissed me today Harry."  
  
"You're joking!"  
  
"No Harry. She kissed me, and it wasn't just a peck on the cheek either."  
  
"That's great Ron. Well, goodnight."  
  
"Night Harry."  
  
Harry thought about how nice it would have been to kiss Hermione, but his resolve kicked in. "She's just a great friend," he thought to himself.  
  
********** A/N - Thanks for catching the typo on Dumbledore Rathien!! Also, thanks to Kateydidnt for bringing up a plot mistake that I fixed!  
  
Everyone who has read the story so far, thank you. I really appreciate your reviews!! ************ 


	14. Dissendium!

Chapter 14 - Dissendium!  
  
The next couple of days were rather uneventful. Harry and Hermione spent a lot of time in the library, but mostly at separate tables. Harry wasn't avoiding her, but he was spending most of his time going through restricted books reading information about Slytherin and Gryffindor, and it was just something he wanted to keep to himself. She would come over and check on him from time to time and look down at the books he was reading and make horrible faces at some of them because of the noises they made, or what was on them. Old books were very unpredictable, and the ones that were in the restricted section weren't just there because they contained information about dark magic. Some of them would cover your hands with blood when you opened them. Some of them would catch fire, and try to burn your hands or get cold and try to freeze them. But Harry felt as though the information he was looking for had to be in one of them.  
  
One late afternoon towards the end of the week, the four of them were in the library. Hermione and Meagan were going over OWL studies, Harry was inside of the restricted section cage, and Ron was going over Quidditch books. Dumbledore walked in and asked Ron and the others if they knew where Harry was.  
  
"I'm in here Professor," Harry said peeking out from behind some of the stacks.  
  
"Harry, might I have a quick word with you outside?" he asked.  
  
"Yes Professor."  
  
Harry walked outside the door of the library with Dumbledore. Ron and Hermione gave each other a worried look, but didn't say anything. They just watched as Harry followed the Headmaster outside.  
  
"Harry, we have found out more information regarding the plan discussed in your dream. Once again I won't worry you with details, but I want you and the others in the common room before dark tonight and I want you to stay there, and under no circumstances are you, or any of the other three to leave. I'll have Dobby bring you all some dinner and I'll send word when it is safe. I must insist again that under no circumstances are you to leave." He said firmly.  
  
"Yes sir. I'll tell the others. Professor Dumbledore sir?" Harry asked.  
  
"Yes Harry?"  
  
"If I am putting the others in danger, maybe it's best if they don't stay here sir." Harry said softly.  
  
"Harry, we are all in danger with Voldemort back. It doesn't really matter where we are. I'll send word tonight."  
  
"Yes sir," Harry said.  
  
When he walked back into the library, everyone was staring at him.  
  
"What did he say Harry?" Ron finally asked.  
  
"He said that something is going to happen tonight. We are supposed to head to the common room before dark and we aren't allowed to leave until he comes for us."  
  
"What's going to happen Harry?" Hermione asked.  
  
"I don't know Hermione. But it has something to do with the dream I had." Harry said as he walked back to the stacks he had left when Dumbledore came in.  
  
They didn't talk much after Harry's meeting with Dumbledore. Hermione went to help Harry gather some of the books he wanted to take back to the common room with him. She kept looking at him as though she was giving him the chance to talk to her privately. After they all had a decent reading supply they went back to the common room. The first thing Harry did after he sat the books down that he brought from the library was go to the foe-glass. He spun it around and pulled out his wand to find that it had already been repaired. He was about to turn around to ask Hermione if she had done it, but he couldn't help but notice how large the shadowy figure had become now. He didn't seem very far off at all this time. In fact, Harry found himself squinting to try to make out any features of the person's face.  
  
"I fixed it this morning Harry," Hermione whispered from behind him.  
  
"He's getting close," Harry said without turning around.  
  
"Don't worry Harry. Dumbledore will take care of it," She said reassuringly.  
  
The clock seemed to slow down to an unbearable pace that night. The four of them all sat in the common room and none of them really talked much at all. They each had their individual books. Harry had "Great Wizards of the Last 3000 Years," Ron had "Polly McMillan's guide for the Quidditch Keeper," Hermione had "The Official OWL Study Guide," and Meagan had "Hogwarts, A History." But each of them didn't seem to really be reading their books.  
  
"I can't stand this!" Hermione yelled loudly as she shut her book with a pop. "What's going on out there?"  
  
"Hermione, calm down, there probably isn't anything going on out there yet. They just want us out of the way so they can search the castle or something," Harry said calmly.  
  
"So they think Voldemort is sending someone here tonight to kill you?" Ron asked.  
  
"That's crazy! Why would Voldemort want to kill Harry straight away? You would think he would want to kill Fudge, or Moody, or even Dumbledore first so he would have an easier time at it. I just don't understand why they think he is coming straight after you," Hermione said looking at Harry as thought she was waiting for him to say something.  
  
Harry knew why. But he didn't have it in him to explain it to them. Not right now anyway. He wasn't sure about anything that was going on outside the portrait of the Fat Lady and it was silently driving him crazy as well.  
Snape was alone in Dumbledore's office. He was having a large glass of brandy, which was very unusual because he hardly touched the stuff. He favored his own concoctions. He was good at making them too, but tonight was different. In a few minutes he was about to execute a plan, and a very complicated plan at that. This plan was coordinated by both sides, and there was possible potential for disaster. There always was with plans like these, but that was part of the risk of being a spy. He looked at the clock on the wall and saw that the sun had set almost two hours ago. In just two more hours, Dumbledore's plan would go into action, and he would be leading a Death Eater into the castle.  
Ron and Meagan had decided to play chess despite Ron's excuses that he was still in the middle of his book and wanted to finish it.  
  
"You told me you've read that book three times Ron," Harry said smiling.  
  
Ron looked at him for a second then said, "Well I have, but there's this one move I still don't understand, so I try to review it from time to time."  
  
"You're just stalling," Meagan said laughing. "You don't want me to beat you again that's all," she said.  
  
"Fine, I won't take it easy on you anymore if you're going to talk like that," Ron said sliding into the chair across from the chess board. "Did I ever tell you how I beat Professor McGonagall's enchanted chess board in our first year?" he said as he moved a pawn.  
  
"That makes about five times I've heard you tell her myself Ron," Hermione said.  
  
After just a few minutes, Hermione saw how caught up in the chess game that Ron and Meagan were. She glanced over at Harry and saw that he was looking at her. She gave a quick glance over her shoulder that told him she wanted him to meet her upstairs. She then got up and walked up towards her dorm room. Harry waited a few minutes then walked up there to join her.  
  
She was waiting just outside the entrance to her dorm room when Harry saw her and walked up to her.  
  
"Harry, there's something going on tonight that you aren't telling me," she whispered.  
  
"Hermione, I don't have any clue what's going on I swear," he said.  
  
"Tonight when I said that it was foolish for Voldemort to come looking for you, you looked at me funny, like you knew something," she said staring at him.  
  
"Hermione I'm telling you I don't know what's going on," he said again.  
  
"Harry, I've known you for too long. You're a horrible liar. You told me the other night that there was something going on. Something you said you wanted to tell me, but you said you'd have to wait. This has something to do with what's going on tonight doesn't it." She said just above a whisper.  
  
Harry looked at her, then down at the ground. He knew he was a bad liar, and he also knew that she was right when she said that she could tell. Hermione could sense that he was deciding whether or not he could tell her.  
  
"Come in here so we can talk," she said pulling him into her dorm room.  
  
She had a hold of his hand and she led him to her bed and they both sat down on it. He just looked at her and didn't say anything.  
  
"Harry, I've been noticing some things about the books you've been reading," she said.  
  
"What do you mean?" he said.  
  
"Well I know you said you wanted to find out more about Godric Gryffindor, but I've noticed that some of the books you have been looking at have nothing to do with him. I saw one advanced defense against the dark arts books you had and you were reading more about Salazar Slytherin than anyone else. What's going on?" she asked.  
  
Harry looked at her a second with surprise in his eyes. He should have known better than trying to be discreet about books with Hermione. Harry joked to himself many times that he figured by the end of their seventh year she would have probably read every book in the library. But he didn't think he was ready to tell her about everything he knew. He also didn't have time to prepare himself to answer her in a manner in which he knew she would not feel left out.  
  
"Hermione, I told you the other night, I don't know enough about it myself to be able to tell you the details. Dumbledore said that when things quieted down a bit, he would help explain them to me." Harry said.  
  
"Harry, it's okay. I understand that you don't want to tell me," she said slowly looking down at the floor.  
  
"Hermione, I don't know what to tell you. That's the problem. I honestly don't know what to tell you," he said.  
  
"Okay Harry. That's all I wanted to ask you," she said quickly.  
  
"Hermione, please don't be angry with me."  
  
"I'm not Harry. You know me, I just hate not knowing things, and I feel like if you tell me what you're looking for I can help you find it," she said.  
  
"That's the problem Hermione, I don't know what I'm looking for!" he said with obvious frustration.  
  
Harry lay back on the bed and put his hands on his face covering his eyes. What was he supposed to tell Hermione? He was so frustrated with everything. Just when he felt the weight of Cedric's death beginning to lift off of him, everything else was piling on even more. He just didn't know what to tell her. He didn't know what was going to happen tonight. He just wanted it to all be over.  
  
He felt Hermione's hand on the top of his head. She was running her fingers through his hair. It felt really nice and it was helping him to calm down a bit. Her hand rested on his forehead and was tracing his scar on his forehead. She traced the lightning bolt several times before he opened his eyes and saw her staring at him.  
  
"Harry did you ever wonder what your life would have been like, if you had never had this scar?" she said softly.  
  
"Only about a hundred times a day," he said.  
  
"I'm sorry this is happening, and I promise you I am not mad at you. I know you'll tell me when you're ready. It took you a while to tell me about Cedric, but you told me. Let's go downstairs and you and I will take on Ron and Meagan at Exploding Snap."  
  
"Thanks Hermione."  
  
"Anytime Harry."  
Snape looked at the clock and saw the time was drawing nearer. He decided that he had drunk enough brandy, and didn't want to chance anymore since it might affect his judgment. He pulled his cloak collar higher around his neck, and walked through the castle heading to the spot where he had caught Harry several times coming and going to Hogsmeade a couple of years ago. He had always known there was some type of secret passage there but he had always been unable to find it and he knew that Potter would never have told him in fear of the trouble it would have caused. The fact that he knew about it now proved that Potter had lied to him about its existence and the fact that had been sneaking off to Hogsmeade. But punishing Harry for it wasn't important to him anymore. If he could have found out about it under different circumstances, he would have done everything in his power to see that the rule-breaking boy was expelled, but once again, that wasn't important to him anymore. As he got closer to the passage entrance, he glanced outside and noticed that there was no moon that night. It was extremely dark outside and during the summer, since there were no students at the school, the castle emitted very little light. He glanced at his time keeper and then pulled out his wand. He put his hand on the one-eyed witch and tapped her hump with this wand.  
  
"Dissendium!" Snape said quietly.  
  
The witch's hump slid away and Snape saw that someone was there waiting for him just as he and the Death Eaters had planned. The person was sitting down just a few meters from where the door had opened and quickly got up when they heard the statue slide away.  
  
"Hello Professor," the voice said to him.  
  
Snape squinted to see the person pull back the hood of their cloak. It was Draco Malfoy.  
  
"Draco! What in God's name are you doing here?" Snape said with both surprise and anger in his voice.  
  
"My father sent me. He said that there have been some new developments. He said that we don't have much time, so he sent me here to get you to come with me. He is waiting in Hogsmeade, at the other end of this passage." Draco said.  
  
Snape thought about this for a second then said, "Very well Draco. Lead the way."  
  
The witches hump closed behind them and they began walking the distance to the Honeydukes cellar.  
  
Moody walked out of the classroom that was directly across from where Snape and Draco had just left. His magical eye was rolling around speedily in its socket. He looked over his shoulder and whispered, "You two wait here, if you see anything unusual shoot stunners and ask questions later. Something isn't right."  
  
He then walked across to the classroom and took out his wand at tapped the one-eyed witch's hump. "Dissendium," he said and the hump slid open again. He glanced inside slowly and clumsily slid through the opening. He knew he had a long walk ahead of him.  
Draco and Snape walked quickly through the dark tunnel. Snape had taken the lead and Draco had to almost gallop to keep up with him.  
  
"What does Father want with you Professor, and why didn't you tell us Slytherin about this passage way?" Draco barked.  
  
"Your father didn't mention anything to you about what was going on tonight, did he Draco?" Snape spat.  
  
"No sir, not really, he just said that he had some secret meeting with you, but that something had come up. Probably something to do with the Dark Lord I'm guessing."  
  
"It's not healthy to get mixed up in your father's business Draco. Not yet anyway. You still have a lot of learning to do." Snape said.  
  
"Oh, I agree Professor, which reminds me, do you think we can start up another dueling club, I would like nothing more than to have a nasty accident to befall Potter during one of them. I doubt there would be anything the Ministry could do about it; father says they aren't too keen on Potter these days." Draco said smiling.  
  
"I won't be teaching this year Draco. You have a new potions teacher. She was at Hogwarts when I was. She is very capable I can assure you."  
  
"You aren't teaching? Why? Is it Dumbledore? I bet father can pull some strings for you if he's the reason."  
  
"It's not Dumbledore Draco, it's my decision. There are a number of. things going on right now that will require my attention. I won't have time for lessons."  
  
Draco smiled. He didn't know exactly what Snape was doing, but he did know that he was back in Voldemort's inner circle.  
  
It wasn't very long before they were bumping their heads against the floor of Honeydukes. Snape motioned for Draco to be quiet, and then he extinguished his wand and slowly pushed the door open.  
  
Snape surveyed the area for a second, but didn't see anyone there. He slowly crept out of the passage way and Draco followed close behind. He stood upright and waited for Draco to come out of the passage way before he gently closed the trap door.  
  
"Lumos."  
  
Snape lit his wand and was able to see two people sitting at the base of the cellar stairs. He directed his light towards them and saw that it was Draco's father Lucius and a fellow Death Eater, Mcnair.  
  
"Hello Severus," Lucius said casually.  
  
"Malfoy, what is this about? Why did the plans change and why wasn't I informed?" Snape said.  
  
"You are being informed now Severus, are you not." Lucius said plainly.  
  
"Lucius, what is going on? I thought I was meeting Wormtail to hide him in the castle but instead I find your son waiting for me."  
  
"Severus, Severus, Severus. It seems Lord Voldemort has other plans. You see, he has doubts about your loyalty, and I have to admit that I agree with him. Why was it you took so long to get back to us, after you knew that Lord Voldemort had returned?" Lucius said.  
  
"What are you talking about Lucius; you know very well that I could never have immediately run to his side with Dumbledore and the others right beside me. I came as soon as I could, and I told Lord Voldemort that. Am I not a very valuable spy for the Dark Lord? Have I not proven on countless occasions that I can provide useful information to him?" Snape spat pointing below him to the passage way.  
  
"He doesn't seem to think so anymore Severus, EXPELLIARMUS!"  
  
Lucius shot the disarming spell at Snape and his wand shot out of his hand, and Mcnair caught it out of mid-air.  
  
"Father, what's going on here? Professor Snape is loyal, aren't you Professor? I think the Dark Lord is mistaken," Draco said loudly.  
  
"Watch your tongue Draco!" Lucius said sharply.  
  
Mcnair used Snape's wand to conjure ropes, which wrapped around Snape's entire body and one that went tightly around his mouth so that he couldn't speak. The binding caused Snape to lose his balance and fall down hard on the floor.  
  
Mcnair walked over him and had an evil smile on his face.  
  
"CRUCIO!"  
  
Snape convulsed violently on the ground. The rope over his mouth was keeping his obvious screams at bay, but the shaking and the look in his eyes made the fact that he was experiencing the worse pain imaginable, very obvious.  
  
"Father! Why are you doing this? Professor Snape is loyal. He even said that he wasn't going to be potions master this year because he would be busy doing work for Lord Voldemort! You have to make him stop father!" Draco said looking at Mcnair.  
  
"Draco! You will hold your tounge or you will be sorry for it!" Lucius said.  
  
The spell had passed and Snape lay on the floor violently trying to catch his breath through his nose.  
  
"The Dark Lord doesn't like to be double-crossed Severus. I think this was clear to you many, many years ago. It's a shame really. I always liked you." Lucius said nodding at Mcnair.  
  
"CRUCIO!" Mcnair shouted again.  
  
Snape writhed in pain again. Blood started pouring out of his nose and as he was trying to breath, the blood was coming out hissing in bubbles.  
  
"Rictusempra!"  
  
The spell came from Draco, and he hit Mcnair squarely in the back with it knocking him down. Draco then immediately turned to his father.  
  
"What are you doing Father? You can't hurt Professor Snape. The Dark Lord is wrong!" Draco shouted.  
  
Lucius walked up to Draco and hit him across the jaw knocking him to the ground. McNair had already recovered from the spell that Draco hit him with and stood up looking down at Draco.  
  
"Lucius, I thought you would have taught your boy better than this." Mcnair said.  
  
"I can assure you that I did. It's just that the Professor is head of his house at school and he has taken quite a liking to him. I'll set him straight when we get home."  
  
"You had better set him straight now Lucius. The boy just questioned the Dark Lord and then interrupted his orders when he hit me with that spell. You had better set him straight now, or I will." Mcnair said obviously very angry.  
  
Lucius knew he now was in a bad position. If he did nothing, Voldemort would surely find out and punish them both.  
  
"Deal with Snape. I'll take care of Draco." Lucius said.  
  
Mcnair stared at him for a second then turned towards Snape.  
  
Lucius knelt down over Draco. "Do you have any idea what you've just done? Do you have any idea what the Dark Lord is going to do to us both when he finds out what you've done here?"  
  
"Get out of the way Lucius," Mcnair said.  
  
"What are you going to do?" Lucius said to Mcnair with panic in his voice.  
  
"Get out of the way Lucius, the boy needs to be punished."  
  
"I told you I would handle it."  
  
"It was me that he hit with that spell Lucius; I think I'll handle it."  
  
Lucius wasn't sure what to do. He stood up slowly and before he knew what happened, Mcnair had already hit Draco with a spell, and was magically throwing him around the room causing him to crash hard into barrels and crates of candy and jelly beans.  
  
"Mcnair, that's enough! We'll be heard!" Lucius said.  
  
"Don't worry Lucius, I am almost done. The boy just needs a bit of a lesson taught to him, that's all."  
  
He flicked his wand a few more times causing Draco to fly up to the ceiling and then crash down hard onto the wooden floor. He was obviously way past unconscious and was hitting the floor with a dull thud each time.  
  
Lucius couldn't watch Draco being punished, but he knew that if he interfered, there would be repercussion from his master.  
  
"Mcnair! We have made too much noise already. Let's finish this and go." Lucius said.  
  
Mcnair crept over Snape who seemed to be barely breathing but still had his eyes opened. The stream of blood from his nose had flowed down his mouth and chin and formed a pool below his head.  
  
"They all learn not to cross him in the end. They all learn." Mcnair took out his wand and pointed it down at Snape.  
  
"Avada Kedavra." The words came out of Mcnair's mouth and were instantly followed by the bright flash of green light from his wand.  
  
Snape was dead.  
  
"Let's get back and report." Mcnair said. "Leave your boy."  
  
"We can't leave him here Mcnair, he'll be found." Lucius said.  
  
"I said leave him Lucius. If he's good enough to get away from the Ministry, then perhaps the Dark Lord will forgive what he's done tonight. But I can assure you, if we take him with us tonight, Lord Voldemort won't be as forgiving."  
  
Lucius stared down at his son for a second, then up at Mcnair. He straightened his cloak and pulled his hood over his head. They then both apparated and were gone.  
  
Draco lay unconscious and was bleeding from several cuts he had on his head, face and arms. Snape was lying just a few feet away from him, still tightly bound in his ropes, but dead.  
  
Moody had finally reached the trapped door. He was out of breath and the stub of his leg was hurting from walking so far on its wooden base. He used his magical eye to see through the floor, and could tell that there was someone lying on top of the door. He saw another figure lying down not too far away from it. One seemed to be breathing, but the one directly above the door, wasn't. After a few more seconds of looking the room over with his magical eye, he pushed the trapped door open causing the body to slowly slide off of it. He could tell the room was empty. He looked around and saw the broken barrels and crates of candy whose contents were now scattered all over the floor. He used his wand to roll the body over and saw that it was Snape. The other body was a younger boy that he didn't recognize. He conjured stretchers and levitated both bodies back down in the passage below the door. He then went back to the basement of the shop and took one more look around. Whoever had been there was now gone. 


	15. A Troubled Heart

Chapter 15 - Loyalty  
  
Moody returned through the passage and yelled at the two Aurors waiting for him for assistance. He gave them control of the stretcher holding's Snape's body, and told them to take it to Dumbledore's office. He guided the injured Malfoy to the Hospital Wing. When he got there Madam Pomfrey came in and started attending to his injuries. Moody was terribly winded and sat down in the bed beside them to catch his breath.  
  
"What happened to this boy?" Madam Pomfrey asked as she began to undress him and attend to his bleeding cuts.  
  
"Not sure, found him like that. You recognize him?" Moody asked.  
  
"Yes of course. This is Draco Malfoy," she said.  
  
"Lucius Malfoy's son?"  
  
"Yes it is," she said.  
  
"Do what you can, and if he wakes up don't let him leave until Dumbledore sees him," Moody said.  
  
When Moody made his way up to Dumbledore's office, the two Aurors were there talking with Dumbledore.  
  
"Alastor, what has happened?" Dumbledore asked.  
  
"Not sure Albus, when I got there, he was dead, and Lucius Malfoy's son was lying next to him. I took him to the Hospital Wing; the nurse is looking after him." Moody said.  
  
"If I had to guess," Moody continued, "I'd say they found out he was a spy. It looks as though they tortured him before they killed him."  
  
"Moody we must see that the passage way is sealed," Dumbledore said. "We have failed and Severus has paid with his life because of it."  
  
Dumbledore sat down at his desk and was visibly grieving over the loss of Snape. Moody stared at him for a second then looked over at the two Aurors.  
  
"You two go ahead and start sealing that passage way. We don't want them sneaking back through it. When you're done head to Hogsmeade and alert the owners of Honeydukes and tell them that you saw some kids running out of their building. They'll find the mess in the basement and think they were after candy or something. Don't speak to the Ministry about anything you saw here tonight. I'll send word for you shortly."  
  
They nodded to him and quickly left.  
  
"Professor, perhaps we should check on the boy?" Moody said looking at Dumbledore who had taken off his glasses and was rubbing his eyes.  
  
"Yes Alastor. You get some rest, I'll go and see Draco," Dumbledore said.  
Harry awoke early in the morning with his scar sharply burning. At first he thought it was just a dream, but the lingering affect of the pain was evident after he woke up. He put on his glasses and went down to the common room. He looked at the foe-glass to see the image in the exact same position it was when he had gone to bed. He walked over to one of the castle windows and looked outside. It was very dark and he couldn't see anything going on outside. After a few minutes he sat down on the couch and kept staring at the foe-glass. He laid his head back against the couch and fell back asleep.  
Professor Dumbledore came into the Hospital Wing to find Madam Pomfrey still mending some of the cuts on Draco.  
  
"How is he Poppy?" Dumbledore asked.  
  
"Broken arm, cracked ribs, about five decent sized cuts. He'll survive but he's beat up pretty bad," she said.  
  
"How long do you think he'll be out? I need to ask him what happened as soon as possible."  
  
"I'm really not sure Headmaster, probably tomorrow after he's had some rest he'll be able to talk."  
  
"Alert me when he does wake, and please ask him not to leave." Dumbledore said.  
  
Dumbledore made his way into the Gryffindor common room to find Harry asleep on the couch. He smiled at the sight of him, the slowly sat down beside him causing Harry to wake up suddenly.  
  
"Relax Harry, it's just me."  
  
"Professor, is everything okay? I woke up earlier with my scar burning."  
  
"I don't doubt it Harry. Something terrible happened tonight. Everything is safe now, but something went horribly wrong."  
  
"What happened sir?"  
  
"Moody found Severus and Draco Malfoy lying in the basement of Honeydukes in Hogsmeade. The assassin was supposed to use a secret passage into the castle to find you. Severus knew about it and he was going to set it up so that we could catch the assassin when the came into the castle. We aren't sure what happened. Draco is up in the hospital wing badly injured."  
  
Harry had to force himself to ask about Snape because he sensed the answer. "And Professor Snape?"  
  
Dumbledore looked at Harry for a second then answered him.  
  
"He is dead Harry. Someone murdered him. We aren't sure what exactly happened. We hope that when Draco wakes up, he'll be able to help us put the pieces together."  
  
"So we can leave the common room tomorrow?"  
  
"Yes Harry."  
  
"Is there anything I need to do sir?"  
  
Dumbledore smiled at him and then stared at the foe-glass for a minute.  
  
"No Harry. I'll see you tomorrow. Get back to bed and get some rest."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
Harry watched as Dumbledore left the common room. When he walked out, Ron, Meagan, and Hermione all came out and were looking down on him.  
  
"What's going on Harry?" Ron asked.  
  
Harry turned around and saw them all standing up there.  
  
"Something happened tonight. Something really bad. Professor Snape is dead."  
  
They all slowly came down and gathered around where Harry was sitting. Hermione sat down next to Harry.  
  
"Draco was there for some reason. Dumbledore said he was hurt really badly. Moody found them. Draco's in the hospital wing. They don't know anything more than that."  
  
No one said a word for over a minute.  
  
"I feel bad." Ron said. "All those times I wished that he would have an accident and something bad would happen to him, and now this."  
  
"Ron, it's not your fault. It's Voldemort's fault." Harry said glancing at the foe-glass. "He is the reason why all of these people are dying or getting hurt." Harry's voice started to tremble, but it also began to get louder. He never took his eyes off of the mirror.  
  
"He is the reason why families are torn apart. He's the reason my parents are dead. I never told you all this, but did you know that Neville's parents were tortured by Death Eaters? They were tortured so badly that they lost their minds. They are in an institution. He goes and visits them and they don't even recognize him." Harry's voice started shaking as he finished that last sentence. Hermione grabbed his hand but he pulled it away quickly. He then stood up and looked from the mirror down to Meagan.  
  
"You shouldn't have come here Meagan. You should have stayed in America. It's not safe here."  
  
As he finished the sentence the mirror exploded and they all quickly put their hands over their heads to protect them from the flying glass.  
  
Harry had started walking up the stairs to his dorm room by the time they all took their hands away from their face.  
  
"Harry!" Hermione called after him but he didn't look back.  
  
She then looked down at Ron and Meagan for a second and pulled a piece of glass from her hair. They were all speechless and none of them wanted to go back to sleep.  
  
Harry had crawled back into bed and was on his side with his back to the door when Ron finally came in. Ron looked him over for a minute and then sat on his bed and stared into the darkness.  
  
"Harry you awake?"  
  
"Yeah Ron."  
  
"You scared us to death down there with that mirror."  
  
"Sorry Ron. I'm just tired of being afraid of him. I'm tired of all of it."  
  
"Harry, is that true what you said about Neville's parents?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Man, I never knew that. No wonder he's so jumpy. Poor guy," Ron said.  
  
"It makes me thankful Harry. I have it all you know, I really do. I spend half my life complaining about being poor, but I really do have it all. I have a great mom and dad, I have great brothers and sisters, and I have the best friends anyone could ask for."  
  
Harry silently agreed with Ron. He did have it all, and Harry was really happy to hear him say that. He was about to tell Ron so when he heard a noise outside of his dorm room window.  
  
It was Hedwig and she was carrying a letter.  
  
Ron turned on the lamp to their dorm room as Harry stroked Hedwig under her wing and then took the letter off of her leg.  
  
"Hey girl! Where have you been? It's been ages; I was beginning to think you didn't like me anymore."  
  
She hooted softly and nipped Harry's finger.  
  
He opened the note and began to read it aloud.  
Harry,  
  
Sorry for the delay but I have been busy gathering intelligence. I had to lay low for a while as Padfoot. I knew Dumbledore was going to ask you to stay at the school this summer so it comes as no surprise that you are in fact there. I feel better knowing you are there in fact. It's good that Hedwig found me. I didn't have an owl at the ready so I must ask you to inform Dumbledore that the Death Eaters know about Snape. I am not sure what happened, but he has been discovered. He needs to lay low at the school for a bit until I can find out more. Also, tell Dumbledore that my search for Wormtail has new leads. I will be in France for a week or so. I'll send word as soon as I have news. Tell everyone to be safe. Say hello to Ron and Hermione for me.  
  
Let your owl rest a bit, she has had a long journey.  
  
Sirius  
Harry and Ron stared at the letter for a second. Harry stood up and handed it to Ron so that he could read it himself.  
  
"Just a few hours too late Ron."  
  
Harry then shook his head and climbed back into bed. Ron looked at the letter then walked over and laid it down by Harry's bed. He turned the lamp off and crawled back into bed. Hedwig was indeed tired and didn't want to return to the owlrey. She decided to just sleep right where she perched.  
Neither one of them got much sleep that night. Harry was up a bit after sunrise. He saw that Ron was awake lying in bed so he told him he was going to give the letter to Dumbledore and that he would meet him for breakfast.  
  
When Harry made his way to Dumbledore's office he found him sitting at his desk, with this head down asleep.  
  
"Professor?"  
  
Dumbledore raised his head slowly and straightened his glasses on his face. He then smiled at Harry and stood up.  
  
"Good morning Harry. I must have dozed off while working last night."  
  
"Sorry to wake you sir but I received this letter from Sirius early this morning. I wanted to bring it to you first thing."  
  
He handed the letter to Dumbledore and watched him read it. Harry could immediately tell when he had reached the part about the warning to Snape, because he closed his eyes tightly and kept them closed for a few seconds before he opened them and continued reading. When he was finished he sat the letter back on his desk and stared at it, then he looked back up to Harry.  
  
"Thank you Harry."  
  
"How's Draco doing?"  
  
"He is resting Harry. I haven't been to see him this morning, but I think I'll stop in after breakfast."  
  
"I'll see you later sir, you need to get some rest, you look like you could use it," Harry said.  
  
Dumbledore looked at him and smiled. He knew he had given Harry the same advice just a week ago.  
  
"Thank you Mr. Potter, I'll try and do so."  
  
Harry made his way back down to the Great Hall. When he got there, Meagan, Hermione and Ron were already there eating.  
  
"Wow, you guys are all up early." Harry said.  
  
"None of us slept much last night." Ron said.  
  
Harry began to butter some toast and noticed that Hermione had yet to look at him. He frowned at this and after he took his second bite of toast he looked at them all.  
  
"I'm really sorry about the mirror."  
  
No one said anything.  
  
"And Meagan, I'm really sorry about what I said to you last night. We are all really glad that you are your mom are here."  
  
"Thanks Harry. I know you didn't mean it. Hermione fixed the mirror after you went back to bed, no harm done," Meagan said.  
  
"Thanks Hermione," Harry said.  
  
"You're welcome." She said softly  
  
They all quietly ate their breakfast and then headed back to the common room and sat down on the chairs and all remained quiet.  
  
"I still can't believe that Snape was killed," Hermione said.  
  
"Any word on Draco," Ron asked Harry.  
  
"No. Dumbledore was going to talk to him this morning." Harry said.  
  
"You don't think he killed Snape do you Harry?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Draco loved Snape; I don't think he would have ever tried to kill him." Ron said.  
  
Harry nodded his head in agreement.  
  
Hermione and Meagan went back up to their dorm rooms to try and get some more sleep. Ron and Harry stayed down in the common room before Ron told Harry he was going upstairs to get a shower.  
  
Harry lay back on the couch and thought he might doze off, but then he suddenly sat up. He wanted to go check on Draco.  
  
When Harry got to the Hospital Wing, Dumbledore was walking out and met him at the door.  
  
"How is he doing Professor?" Harry asked.  
  
"He is awake Harry, but very disturbed. He doesn't feel like talking about what happened last night." Dumbledore said.  
  
"Can I go and see him?" Harry asked.  
  
Dumbledore didn't think it was a good idea, but something told him there was a chance that he might say something to Harry about what had happened.  
  
"Just don't push him Harry. I know you two have had your differences over the years. Please don't provoke him. He is both physically and emotionally injured."  
  
"I won't sir. I promise," Harry said.  
  
When Harry walked in he saw Draco sitting up in his bed. His face was badly bruised and one of his eyes was nearly swollen shut. He didn't recognize Harry until he was right up next to his bed.  
  
"What do you want Potter?"  
  
"To see how you're doing Draco."  
  
"What do you care?"  
  
"I'm not sure that I do Draco, but I wanted to stop by anyway."  
  
"Dumbledore sent you in here to try and get me to talk didn't he?"  
  
"Actually no Draco I really just came up here on my own. You heard about Professor Snape didn't you?"  
  
Draco didn't say anything, but just stared down at the bandage on his arm and scratched at it.  
  
"What happened last night Draco? I woke up with my scar hurting so I know it had something to do with Voldemort."  
  
Draco looked at him for a second. "Your scar hurts when Voldemort does something bad?"  
  
"Not really sure Draco, my scar hurts when Voldemort is planning something, or is murdering people, or when he touches me."  
  
Draco looked at Harry for a second. He seemed to be sizing Harry up then he spoke again.  
  
"They thought Snape was a trader. They killed him because they thought he was a trader," Draco said.  
  
"I know that." Harry said. "We just didn't know it in time to warn him. Just a few more hours and we could have stopped it."  
  
Draco looked at Harry and couldn't believe what he had said.  
  
"What are you talking about Potter? What do you know about Professor Snape?"  
  
"I know he was helping me. He was helping all of us to stop Voldemort. He risked his life for us Draco."  
  
"What in the hell are you talking about Potter. He wasn't working with you or Dumbledore or anyone. He was a Death Eater, and father was wrong about him. You're wrong about him."  
  
"Draco, I'm not wrong. He was working against Voldemort. He had done it before, and then when Wormtail brought him back, he did it again. Don't you understand Draco, Snape wanted to stop him. He does nothing but hurt people. He doesn't give a damn about you, or your father or anyone else. I saw him that night. Did you dad tell you that? I was there when he came back. I saw your dad and the other Death Eaters shaking with fear when he punished them. Your father was on his knees kissing Voldemort's cloak. Wormtail cut off his own hand because he was too afraid to stand up to him. They all are."  
  
"They're just loyal Potter. I don't guess you'd know anything about that would you?"  
  
"Listen to yourself Draco. Look at you. I don't know who did this to you, but I can bet that Voldemort was the reason. What has he ever done for you? Name one thing Voldemort has done for you. You earn people's loyalty Draco, you don't demand it. He didn't give you power or protection or knowledge. Dumbledore has though. You didn't even ask for it, and he gave you all of those things. Just like last night and this morning. He is trying to protect you, and me, and everyone else from Voldemort. You have everything mixed up in your head Draco and it's your dad's fault. Don't talk to me about loyalty. Where was your dad when you were being hurt like that, or was he the one who did that to you? You know what my dad did when Voldemort tried to hurt me? He died trying to stop him. He didn't just sit and let it happen. He died trying to stop him. And if I had to choose between my dad being alive and working for Voldemort and my dad being dead and fighting against him, I'd choose him being dead."  
  
Harry got up and started to walk out of the room but stopped and turned around to say one more thing.  
  
"Loyalty works both ways Draco. It's about fighting to protect people, and having them die to protect you. You'll be safe here Draco. Dumbledore will do everything in his power to see that you are safe. You can help him keep you that way."  
  
Harry walked out of the room and headed back to the common room.  
  
Draco watched him leave, then slowly turned over and began to cry in his pillow. He couldn't believe that Snape was in fact a spy. He couldn't believe that they had killed him. But he thought really hard about what Harry had said about his father. His father had done nothing last night to protect him. Nothing at all. 


	16. No Way Out

Chapter 16 - No way out  
  
Harry didn't know what to think about his visit with Draco. He had always hated him, but now for some reason he felt sorry for him. He knew that it was his father's fault he was the way he was. But he also knew that at some point you have to become your own person. He was living proof of that. He had lived with the Dursley's all those years and he didn't like to think that they rubbed off on him at all.  
  
He returned to the common room and found Hermione reading the Daily Prophet.  
  
"Harry look at this, they think that someone broke into Honeydukes. They found the cellar in shambles. There were broken boxes and smashed crates everywhere. They think a group of kids did it but it says they didn't find anyone."  
  
Harry sat down by Hermione and put his head on her shoulder.  
  
"I just went and saw Draco."  
  
"Is he doing okay?" she asked.  
  
"He looks really bad, but he'll live. He wouldn't talk to Dumbledore and when I went in and talked to him, he didn't say much to me either. He knew that they killed Snape because he was spying. I think it was his dad that did it. I don't know any other reason why he would have been there." Harry said.  
  
Hermione reached up and patted his head. She kept her hand on the side of his face and pulled his head more snugly against her shoulder.  
  
"I don't think he knows what he's getting into Harry. His dad is bad news. You know Draco though; he probably thinks he's a Death Eater just because his dad is one."  
  
"He does Hermione. I think your right. He had no idea what goes on with them. I think he found out last night and almost got himself killed. If his dad did that to him, he may not ever be able to go home." Harry said. "Where are Ron and Meagan?"  
  
"They went for a walk. They have been spending a lot of time together," she said.  
  
"Yeah I know. They seem to really like each other." Harry said.  
  
"You look tired Harry, you didn't get any sleep last night did you?" she asked.  
  
"I got a little, but not much. Listen Hermione, I am really sorry about the mirror last night. I know it scared everyone."  
  
"You were just upset Harry. Everyone was. It's okay really."  
  
Harry let out a big yawn and took off his glasses to rub his eyes.  
  
"Lie down and take a nap. You can put your head in my lap while I finish reading the paper."  
  
Harry didn't argue. He was really tired all of a sudden. He slid down the couch a bit so that his head was lying in Hermione's lap. She looked down at him and smiled and took his glasses off of his face and sat them on the table. She then picked the paper back up and began reading some of the articles aloud. She had one hand on the paper, and the other lightly stroking the side of Harry's face. It wasn't long before he had fallen asleep. Hermione finally noticed he was asleep when he didn't answer a question she asked him about an article she was reading with Quidditch scores. She looked down at him and smiled. She kept rubbing the side of his face with her hand. She sat there and watched him sleep for a few minutes, then picked the paper back up and continued reading it. She could hardly keep her eyes on the paper though. He looked so peaceful sleeping down there below her. Before she realized what was happening, she had sat the paper down and had leaned down to kiss him. It was a very gentle kiss on his lips. She didn't want to wake him up though. It didn't last for very long, but it seemed long to Hermione. It was the first time she had ever kissed anyone. She rose back up and glanced out the window as she heard the wind blowing outside.  
  
"Hermione, will you do that again?" Harry asked.  
  
She looked down to see Harry looking up at her. She smiled at him, then leaned down and kissed him again. This kiss was a bit longer, and it wasn't just her this time. Harry was kissing her back. She wanted it to last forever.  
  
They broke apart and when they did Harry opened his eyes and a small smile crept across his face. Hermione saw this and smiled back at him.  
  
"That was nice," she said.  
  
Harry didn't say anything. He just nodded and smiled. His heart was racing and he felt butterflies in his stomach. He wanted to lay there forever with her running her fingers through this hair.  
  
Harry heard the portrait open and Ron and Meagan walk in. Neither he nor Hermione made any attempt to hide the fact that his head was laying on her lap. Meagan didn't acknowledge that anything was out of the ordinary. Ron, however, had a large smile on his face as he walked straight in and sat down across from them.  
  
"Well, we had a nice walk." Ron said still smiling at them.  
  
"That's nice," Hermione said looking back at him "Harry went and saw Draco this morning. He said he looked really banged up."  
  
"Did he say what happened to him Harry?" Ron asked.  
  
"Not really. I think one of the Death Eaters did it to him. It might have even been his father. He wouldn't talk to Dumbledore about it at all." Harry said.  
  
Ron looked down thinking about what Harry had said for a minute, then looked at the two of them and smiled again.  
  
"Meagan and I are going down to the Quidditch field to fly. If you're up for it Harry, meet me down there in a little bit, although you look a bit tired." Ron said, his smile still not leaving his face. He obviously felt a bit better at seeing his two best friends together this time.  
  
"I might come down there in a bit Ron." Harry said.  
  
Ron got up and went to the dormitory to change. A few minutes later Meagan came down, then Ron, and they both left to head down to the field.  
  
Harry didn't move the entire time. Finally he reached up and grabbed Hermione's hand that had been stroking his face. He held onto it and closed his eyes. He didn't feel the need to hide the fact that he had his head in Hermione's lap from Ron or anyone. He didn't feel the need to hide that he felt very comfortable laying there with his head in her lap, and that it felt good to hold her hand.  
  
It wasn't very long before he had dozed off again.  
Madam Pomfrey had mended all of the large cuts on Draco's head and arms. She had also mended the arm that was broken as he had been thrown across the Honeydukes cellar. He still had minor scrapes all over his face and hands, and his eye was still swollen, but for the most part he was feeling better. He slowly got out of bed and walked to one of the windows. He could see two people down at the Quidditch field flying around throwing a Quaffel back and forth. He stared around at the grounds and didn't see anyone else around. It made him feel very alone. He wanted to go home very badly, but he knew that he probably wouldn't be welcome there. He was afraid of what his dad might do to him, and even more so he was afraid of what Lord Voldemort might do to him knowing what he had done. If Snape had in fact been a spy, and he was starting to accept the possibility that it was probably true, then he had interfered with Voldemort's orders and would probably be hurt very badly. But why would Snape do that? Why would Snape betray the Dark Lord? For a flash of a second, it crossed Draco's mind that he might be fighting for the wrong side. He gave one last look at the two people flying down at the Quidditch field, then went back to his bed and pulled the covers over his head.  
Voldemort was sitting in a large thrown-like chair staring into the fireplace. He had just told his Death Eaters about Snape's betrayal and had Mcnair recant the way that Snape had been killed. After he successfully spread fear into them all, he privately gave out new orders to each of them. When it came time for him to meet with Lucius Malfoy, he had more than just instructions for him.  
  
"Lucius, Mcnair has told me about what happened last night with your son."  
  
"Yes, we dealt with him my Lord, and I can assure you that he will not give us problems again," Lucius said.  
  
"Dealt with him? How did you deal with him? Mcnair said that he had been left behind and from what I have read in the paper, it has been said no one was found down there. So that means that you don't know where he is," Voldemort said.  
  
"Yes sir. I wanted to bring him back my Lord, but Mcnair said that we were to leave him I didn't agree with him sir, but at the time we had dealt with our business and I didn't want to discuss it anymore."  
  
"Lucius, serious mistakes were made last night. That boy should never have accompanied you. Then he interferes with my orders and now Dumbledore may have him at the school. Do you think that he might not be able to cause problems for us both if he decides to talk to Dumbledore? Dumbledore can then go to the Ministry with evidence that I have in fact returned, and then we might lose our allies in Azkaban among other things. This could set us back months Lucius."  
  
Malfoy began to tremble as he realized what Voldemort was saying.  
  
"My Lord, my son is loyal my Lord. He would never betray me; he would never betray you my Lord I can assure you."  
  
"Lucius, your boy has already betrayed us both. I fear that if the Ministry now has him, the problems it may cause for you could be dire, but if Dumbledore has him."  
  
Voldemort looked at Lucius and shook his head. When he did so Lucius felt like a pair of hands was closing around his neck.  
  
He couldn't breathe and as he reached up to his throat to see what was obstructing him, he fell to the ground. His chest was pounding for air and his brain was begging for blood and just as he began to black out, the magic grip on his throat was released. He gasped and wiped the tears out of his eyes as well as the drool that had begun to roll down his chin from choking.  
  
"Lucius find your boy and bring him to me," Voldemort said softly.  
  
Lucius got to his feet still a bit dizzy from the lack of blood to his brain. He straightened his cloak and then bowed to Voldemort.  
  
"Lucius," Voldemort said as he was walking away, "Don't fail me again."  
  
"Yes my Lord."  
Harry woke up violently with a sharp pain coming from his scar. He forced his hand, the same hand that was holding Hermione's, up to his forehead.  
  
"Harry what's wrong?" Hermione asked.  
  
"My scar! I had a dream. Voldemort is sending Lucius Malfoy to find Draco. I think they're going to kill him," he said while rubbing his forehead with both of their hands.  
  
Harry got up and put his glasses back on his face.  
  
"I need to talk to Draco," he said. "Hermione, can you go tell Dumbledore what happened? Tell him that I am going to talk to Draco. See if he can meet us there. Hopefully Draco will believe me," he said still rubbing his scar.  
  
"I'll go right now," she said as she got up off of the couch.  
Harry went back up to the Hospital Wing. Draco seemed to be asleep in his bed. Harry approached the bed slowly and then decided he should go ahead and wake him up.  
  
"Draco, are you awake?" Harry asked loudly.  
  
Draco didn't turn around, but he answered Harry anyway.  
  
"What do you want now Potter?"  
  
"Draco, I went back to our common room after I talked to you this morning. I fell asleep on the couch and I had a dream. It was about Voldemort and your father, then I woke up and my scar was hurting."  
  
"I could care less about your dreams Potter."  
  
"Draco, you don't understand, I woke up with my scar burning. When that happens, it's not just a dream."  
  
Draco was silent for a few seconds.  
  
"What did my father say in your dream Potter?"  
  
"Voldemort said something about how your father shouldn't have taken you last night. He said something about you interfering with Mcnair and his orders."  
  
Malfoy's heart gave a jump. How could Harry have possibly known about that?  
  
"He ordered your father to bring you to him. He said that you betrayed him and told your father that he wanted to deal with you himself. Then he..." Harry stopped.  
  
"He what Potter?" Draco asked quickly.  
  
"He did something to your father to hurt him, when he finished hurting him, he told your father not to fail him again." Harry said.  
  
"How can you know this Potter? Is this some trick Dumbledore told you to pull?"  
  
"Draco I told you. I see things sometimes. It has something to do with my scar. Voldemort and I are connected by it somehow. I see things that he does sometimes."  
  
"So why are you telling me this Potter? You trying to get me to say something against my father?"  
  
"I'm just trying to warn you Draco. If I were you, I wouldn't go back home. Just stay here for the summer and let things cool down. Dumbledore won't have any problems with you staying here."  
  
"I am so glad you are worried about me Potter. I'll sleep better at night because of it really."  
  
Harry didn't know what to say. He hated Draco, he always had, but he hated Voldemort even more. He knew that if Draco went back home that Voldemort would probably kill him.  
  
"Potter, please just leave me alone."  
  
Harry looked at Draco for a second, and then walked out of the room.  
  
Draco had a million things going through his head. How could Harry have known what happened last night unless he was telling the truth about that dream? And if the dream was true, Voldemort was in fact looking for him. He wouldn't kill him would he? His dad wouldn't let Voldemort kill him would he? He thought about it again. Death would probably be better than being tortured. Surely his father wouldn't just hand him over to Voldemort.  
  
"Of course he would, father almost let me die last night." He told himself.  
  
He was deep in thought when Dumbledore walked into the hospital wing. He was just a few feet from his bed before he noticed him.  
  
"Hello Draco. How are we feeling this morning?"  
  
"I'm fine Professor."  
  
"Harry said the he had been up here to talk with you."  
  
"Yes sir. I don't know what you expect me to tell you though. I was there when Professor Snape was killed. I won't tell you who did it, but it wasn't my father."  
  
"Very well Draco. Can you tell me who hurt you?"  
  
"It was the same man who killed Professor Snape."  
  
"A Death Eater?" Dumbledore asked.  
  
Draco kept looking at him but didn't answer.  
  
"I just want to know whether last nights events had anything to do with Voldemort." Dumbledore said.  
  
"Yes, it was." Draco said. "I think Potter already knows who it was. He had some sort of dream about it."  
  
"I know Draco; he also told me that your father is seeking your presence. Should I alert him and let him know that you are safe?" Dumbledore asked him.  
  
"I don't think he cares Professor. And no, if you will, I would rather you not let anyone know that I'm here."  
  
Dumbledore looked Draco over a bit and could sense his fear.  
  
"Draco, I know you were very fond of Professor Snape and I am sure that you, like many of us, are mourning his passing." Dumbledore said as he walked over to the window to look down at the Quidditch field.  
  
"I'd like to tell you a story if you have a second Draco."  
  
Draco didn't say anything so Dumbledore took it for a yes.  
  
"Years ago a very bright wizard from a powerful family came here to go to school. His family had a very old and very bad history of dark magic. I accepted him anyway, knowing that people should not be judged based on what their family has done. This wizard was very advanced, more so in his first year, than some of the fourth or fifth years students. I sometimes worried that as he got older and became more powerful, he might pick the path of his family which would clearly be the wrong path. The road was very bumpy for him, and after he was done here at school, he became mixed up in the dark arts and seemingly was headed for the same fate as many of the others in his family had suffered. It was just when I thought he was beyond helping, that he came to see me. He had told me that he had been involved in some terrible things, and that even though he had figured he would likely be killed by the dark wizards or put into Azkaban by the Ministry, he wanted to make things right. He was given a second chance by both the Ministry and me. I gave him a job here as a teacher and he continued to work to make up for his mistakes. He gave his life fighting for not what his family or friends believed in, but what he himself believed to be right. It wasn't a decision that I, or anyone else, could have made for him. It's a decision that we all have to make in the end Draco."  
  
Dumbledore turned around to leave and stopped as he got to the door. "You know you are welcome here. You can stay here as long as you like Draco. Madam Pomfrey said you only have to stay here in this wing one more night. After that you can stay in your dorm room."  
  
Draco watched Dumbledore walk out of the room and then looked at the floor. He knew that Dumbledore had been talking about Professor Snape. He didn't have any idea what he was going to do now. He couldn't stay here at the school much longer, and he obviously couldn't go home. He was too afraid of what Voldemort would do to him and he knew that his father wouldn't protect him.  
  
Draco tried a few times to sleep that night, but his mind was too troubled. He knew he couldn't call Crabbe or Goyle, and he really didn't have any other friends that he could go to. He wanted to get out of that hospital room and maybe go someplace else where he could think. He found his clothes and put them on slowly, trying not to aggravate his hurt ribs. After that, he quietly left the Hospital Wing and began to walk. He had nowhere to go, no one to turn to, and he refused to take help from the people who were offering it to him. Before he knew it, he was at the top of the Astronomy tower. He lay down on the floor and looked up at the stars. In a matter of a few minutes he slowly got back up and gazed down at the grounds of the castle. He wasn't going to let Voldemort torture him. He wasn't going to let his father turn him over to the Dark Lord. He wasn't going to look Dumbledore and Potter in the eye and admit that they were right. He slowly crept up to the side of the tower and leaned over the edge next to one of the large telescopes. He stared up at the stars one more time, and then gazed over the grounds of Hogwarts. A few tears were now leaking down his face. He then slowly let himself slip over the side and fall to the ground. 


	17. Fudge Returns

Chapter 17 - Fudge Returns  
  
Madam Pomfrey got up early to check on Draco. She wanted to check his ribs and breathing and make sure that everything was still healing nicely before she let him go. When she made her way to the bed he was supposed to be in, he wasn't there. She looked in the closet that was beside his bed and found that his clothes were gone. He went immediately to Dumbledore's office to let him know that Draco was gone.  
  
When she got there, Moody and Dumbledore were in the middle of a conversation, but she felt the need to interrupt them anyway.  
  
"Professor, sorry to interrupt you, but Draco Malfoy wasn't in his bed this morning. His clothes were missing too, I assume that he has left the school," she said.  
  
Dumbledore looked at Moody for a second, and then back to Madam Pomfrey.  
  
"Poppy, Alastor found Draco below the Astronomy Tower this morning. He is dead. It appears that he fell from the top of the tower late last night."  
  
Madam Pomfrey gave a loud squeak and put her hands over her mouth.  
  
"It doesn't appear that he was forced over the edge. It looks as though he simply jumped." Dumbledore said shaking his head.  
  
Madam Pomfrey still had her hands over her mouth to hide her obvious cries.  
  
"He was very troubled Poppy. His father's involvement with Voldemort was the reason he was so badly injured the night before. I just wish I could have foreseen this," Dumbledore said as he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.  
  
"I have sent a letter to his father, asking him to come to the castle immediately," he said.  
  
"You don't think they'll be problems from old Lucius when he gets here do you Albus?" Moody asked him.  
  
"I do not know Alastor. No one can predict the reactions a father might have when he learns of the death of his son," Dumbledore said.  
  
"I'll hang around the castle and make sure I am here when he arrives," Moody told him.  
  
"Alastor, I do not think your presence will be required, but I do appreciate you looking out for me." Dumbledore said smiling.  
  
"I know you can handle Lucius, but he's a slippery one, he'd curse ya first chance he got as soon as ya turned your back," Moody said.  
  
"I assure you I will be fine Alastor." Dumbledore said.  
  
"If you say so Albus. But watch out for him. I don't trust that slimy Death Eater any further than I can throw him." Moody said.  
  
Later that afternoon, Harry and Ron were down at the Quidditch field. Harry was working Ron pretty hard. Harry was getting better with the Quaffle and Ron was paying the price for it. But it was working was paying off, Ron was getting better, and Harry was finding it much harder to get the Quaffle past him and through the rings. Harry had just put a wicked move on Ron, but stopped mid-air to look at someone walking up to the castle.  
  
"What happened? Why'd you stop?" Ron asked trying to catch his breath. "That was a great move Harry you had me beat."  
  
"Someone's walking up to the castle; I was just trying to see who it was." Harry said still looking at the person.  
  
"Can you tell who that is?" Ron said shading his eyes from the sun.  
  
"I'm not sure, but from the look of that blonde hair I bet its Draco's dad." Harry said.  
  
"I don't like him Harry. Not at all." Ron said.  
  
"I know, I think there's going to be trouble. He's here looking for Draco," Harry said.  
  
"Ron, I'm going to head up to the hospital wing to warn Draco."  
  
"Harry you better be careful, you do have your wand don't you?"  
  
"Of course I do, I've had it on me the whole time I've been back at the school."  
  
Harry flew his broom as fast as he could up to the door of the castle, then quickly jumped off and set himself at a sprint towards the hospital wing. He burst through the door to see the bed that Draco had been in the night before empty. He then ran into Madam Pomfrey's office to find her sitting behind her desk.  
  
"Where is Draco?" he asked her gasping for air.  
  
"Mr. Potter, he isn't here anymore," she said.  
  
"Where is he? I need to warn him, his father just walked into the castle." Harry said.  
  
"His father is here already? My dear! Why on Earth would you need to warn him about his father being here?" she asked.  
  
"I'm only guessing, but I think his father was there when he was hurt. I think his father wants to hurt him again. I've already talked to Dumbledore about it."  
  
"Harry, sit down a minute. I need to tell you something," she said trying to calm her voice.  
  
Harry looked at her for a second, and then sat down across from her.  
  
"Harry, Draco threw himself off of the Astronomy Tower last night."  
  
Harry didn't say anything. It took a second for what she had just said to sink in.  
  
"Harry did you hear me? Draco killed himself."  
  
"No! Are you sure?" Harry said quickly.  
  
"Yes, Harry. Professor Moody found him this morning. There was no evidence of any kind of struggle. It seems as though he just jumped."  
  
Harry sat back in the chair he was sitting in. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. He didn't see it coming. He never thought that Draco was that bad off. He immediately wanted to go talk with Dumbledore and see if he knew anything about it.  
  
"I can't believe he killed himself." Harry said.  
  
"I know Harry. I think he was just under too much stress from what happened to him the other night. I'll be here if you need anyone to talk to."  
  
"Thank you," Harry said and then he quickly headed out of the room.  
  
Harry was in shock. It was the same sort of shock he felt when he had found out about Snape. He didn't really like Draco at all, but he found himself feeling very sorry for him, and sorry that he was now dead. He had remembered all of the times he had felt like doing something really horrible to Malfoy, and now he was dead. It made him feel guilty. He made his way to Dumbledore's office and could here Lucius talking from inside.  
  
"Are you telling me that my son killed himself Dumbledore?" Lucius said loudly.  
  
"Yes, Mr. Malfoy. He was found this morning at the base of the Astronomy tower. He came to us only a night ago very badly injured. You wouldn't know anything about that would you?"  
  
Harry didn't hear an answer. He instinctively pulled his wand out and held it against his leg. He then heard Lucius begin speaking again.  
  
"Dumbledore you're telling me that my son came here, to this school, injured, and then jumped out of your Astronomy Tower?"  
  
"That seems to be what happened Mr. Malfoy. We are still investigating all of the details, but right now that seems to be exactly what happened."  
  
There was a moment of silence then Malfoy spoke again.  
  
"Did my son talk to you about what happened to him or why he might jump?" Lucius asked.  
  
"He did not give me any details Lucius. But I do believe he talked with Harry Potter yesterday, although I am not sure as to what all was said in that particular conversation."  
  
"Harry Potter is here at the school?" Lucius tried to sound surprised. "Did you happen to ask Mr. Potter where he was when my son allegedly jumped to his death?"  
  
"Lucius, I do not believe Harry Potter was involved in your son's death in any way."  
  
"You don't do you? No, I guess you wouldn't. I am going to talk to the Ministry about this Dumbledore. I'll let you know right away that I hold you responsible for the death of my son, and I will make that known to Fudge and the others."  
  
"You may do what you feel is necessary Lucius. I will tell you that your son came here extremely troubled. I don't think I have to tell you what was troubling him."  
  
"Just what are you insinuating Dumbledore?"  
  
"Nothing more Lucius, than the fact that I find it hard to believe that you have no idea why your son came here or what happened to him."  
  
"You watch yourself Dumbledore. You'll watch your tounge. How dare you involve yourself in my family's business! I have nothing more to say to you Dumbledore. I can assure you this isn't the last you'll here from me on this matter."  
  
"Good day Lucius, I will tell you that I am very sorry about your family's loss. Your son was an exceptional student and he will be missed."  
  
Lucius stormed out of the office and caught Harry out of the corner of his eye. His eyes got very wide when he saw him, and even wider when he noticed that Harry had his wand lying against his leg.  
  
"Potter!" Lucius turned to face him. "You will be sorry if you had anything to do with the death of my son." Lucius said.  
  
"I had nothing to do with the death of Draco sir. But I did talk to him. He told me what you did. He knew Voldemort sent you to get him."  
  
"How dare you say that to me, Potter! You have been nothing but lucky so far, but I can assure you that your luck will run out one of these days. It will all come crashing down on you. One of these days very soon, you won't have anyone around to protect you and you can bet that it will be the worst and the last day of your life."  
  
Harry felt one of the worst rages of his life building inside of him. He had his wand at his side and he knew that Lucius could never get to his in time. But he got control of himself before he did anything drastic. He let a small smile creep across his face.  
  
"Tell Voldemort I said hello when you see him. And tell him that next time he decides to choke you, he needs to squeeze a bit harder."  
  
Lucius had a look on his face that Harry had never seen. It was a mixture of both surprise and rage. He looked as though he wanted to go for his wand, but he was so set back at the fact that Harry had known about his last meeting with Voldemort, that he did nothing but walk past Harry and rush down the stairs.  
  
Dumbledore had been listening outside of his office, and opened the door after he heard Lucius leave.  
  
"Harry I am very impressed at the way you stood up to him, but you must be very careful not to provoke him, he is a very powerful wizard and can cause a lot of problems for you."  
  
"Yes sir I know. But I also know what he did. He was the reason Draco killed himself. He was there the night that Voldemort came back and Cedric was killed. He was also there the night that Snape was killed. I just feel like we should do something."  
  
"Harry, there are certain times for action and certain times that one should let things take their course. You will learn when these situations are. You are obviously getting better at it already; I see you had your wand out but did not use it," he said smiling.  
  
"Yes sir. I just wanted him to see it so he wouldn't get the urge to do anything."  
  
"That was a good idea Harry. You are in fact learning very quickly. I would also say that at this point Lucius probably didn't feel confident that he could have done anything to you anyway."  
  
"You think he is afraid of me Professor?"  
  
"Harry, I would imagine that all of the Death Eaters are afraid of you. Especially after watching you duel with Voldemort and live to tell about it," Dumbledore said smiling. "But that doesn't mean they aren't still very dangerous."  
  
Harry looked at the floor with a frown on his face. He would have liked to have thrown the killing curse at Lucius. He had never really thought about killing anyone since he had confronted Sirius back when the thought he had been responsible for his parent's deaths. But right now he knew he wouldn't think twice about using the killing curse against Voldemort and any other Death Eater that put him and his friends in mortal danger. For some strange reason, he had felt a sudden urge to get revenge for Draco's death.  
Harry returned to the common room where he found the others. It was there that he broke the news to them about Draco and also the news about what Draco's father had said to both him and Dumbledore just a few minutes ago.  
  
"I can't believe he would do that," Hermione said stifling a cry.  
  
Ron was dazed. It wasn't that he was really sad at the fact that Malfoy was dead; it had more to do about someone so young killing themselves.  
  
"I think his dad is going to try and cause problems for Professor Dumbledore at the Ministry." Harry said.  
  
"He's a bloody Death Eater! How the hell can he just walk into the Ministry and cause problems for Dumbledore?" Ron said loudly.  
  
"Fudge." Hermione said. "He won't accept that Voldemort is back. He's too afraid that he'll be voted out of the Ministry if he causes a panic."  
  
"I'm going to get a shower. I'll see you guys in a bit," Harry said in disgust.  
Dumbledore sat at his desk and began to add thoughts to a Pensieve. He had received an owl that said that Fudge was on his way to the castle. He knew that Lucius had already informed Fudge about his son's death and he had no doubt that Fudge would be under a lot of pressure to find Dumbledore responsible in some way. Tensions had been running high between Dumbledore and Fudge since the last day of the Tri-Wizard tournament. It wasn't long before there was a knock on Dumbledore's door and Fudge emerged and the two shook hands.  
  
"Albus hope your doing well," Fudge said systematically.  
  
"I am, thank you Cornelius. And I hope I find you in good health."  
  
"Yes Albus. Not too bad."  
  
"Listen I am here because of the death of Draco Malfoy. Lucius sent me an owl this afternoon not too long after you informed him that his son was found dead. I need to know what has happened here Albus. There is no doubt he is already informing the school governors."  
  
"Cornelius, Draco came to us badly injured. He had been severely beaten, and had suffered a broken arm, broken ribs and numerous cuts. He stayed in the Hospital Wing and Madam Pomfrey mended him very well. He seemed to be in very bad spirits about what had happened to him although he would never discuss the matter with me. He jumped from the Astronomy Tower sometime early this morning."  
  
"Albus, Lucius says that Harry Potter is staying here for the summer and that Harry had some words with him today that lead him to believe that he was involved with Draco's death," Fudge said.  
  
"It is true that Harry Potter is staying here for the summer. It is also true that Harry and Lucius shared words outside my office door. I doubt, however, that Harry insinuated that he was involved, and I myself, do not think he was involved in Draco's death in any way. I can tell you with great certainty that the two spoke and were very civil with one another. Harry was very concerned when Draco came to us injured and he merely conveyed that to Lucius."  
  
"Albus, I can't lie to you, I have no choice but to have an inquiry into this by the Ministry. Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy have never gotten along, and no one has ever hid the fact of that. In fact, I know that the two have been involved in numerous confrontations at this school and have each been punished for it. How can you be certain that another one of these confrontations did not happen causing Harry to overact and somehow lead to Draco's death?"  
  
"Cornelius, all I can offer you is my confidence in Harry, and my belief that there was no foul play in the death of Draco Malfoy. Perhaps the Ministry should investigate the reason that he was badly beaten the night before he came here. This could perhaps shed some light on why he felt the need to take his own life."  
  
"Albus, I have had enough. I have to say that I am done with being nice here. First you tell me that Harry has seen the return of You-Know-Who to power. You've employed Severus Snape who bears the mark of a Death Eater and has been teaching who knows what to the students here. You've employed a werewolf, a half-giant and an Auror who is curses his own shadow. Now I guess you're trying to hint to the fact that Lucius old ties to You-Know- who someone played a part in his son's death. I have had doubts about the safety of the students at this school, and now my doubts have been realized now that a student has been killed here. I have no more to say to you Dumbledore other than you had better start looking for employment elsewhere. As for Harry Potter, he is welcome to stay here while the investigation is going on, but I believe after our findings he won't be attending school here next term. I am tired of overlooking the obvious dark aspects of that boy's life and I won't stand for any more accidents to happen at this school."  
  
"Cornelius, I had hoped that your eyes would not have remained shut for so long. Voldemort grows stronger every day and his followers are planning evil with ease since they are feeling absolutely no pressure from you or the Ministry. The Dark Lord is doing what he can to help keep your eyes closed so that he can make sure you don't interfere with his plans while he is trying to gain numbers and power. I will adhere to whatever the Ministry finds in regards to this event, but I can only warn you that if you do not act soon, it will be too late for you to act effectively."  
  
Fudge just looked at him wide-eyed. He could feel the power radiate off of Dumbledore and he had a look of fear in his eyes as Dumbledore stood before him and issued the warning.  
  
"That is all I have to say to you Albus. This is complete lunacy. We'll be in touch soon, I assure you." Fudge said.  
  
He then immediately left Dumbledore's office slamming the door behind him. 


	18. Driven Out

Chapter 18 - Driven Out  
  
The following day Dumbledore, Moody and Lupin had a closed door meeting. The meeting had to do with the fact that Dumbledore would most likely be suspended from the school. Dumbledore didn't fear for his job, the truth is that material wealth had never been anything he desired. His fear had to do with the students that he was leaving behind. Harry didn't have a safe place to go. Dumbledore knew that if he stayed behind without his or Moody's protection, Harry would be put at risk. Harry was a very capable wizard, but the Death Eaters knew where to find him, and thanks to Lucius Malfoy, it was just a matter of time before they knew that Harry Potter wouldn't have Dumbledore there to protect him. He wouldn't have felt as concerned if he didn't think that Fudge would most likely remove Moody from the school as well. Even as powerful as a wizard as Dumbledore was, he was in the later years of his life, and Moody, although he didn't have Dumbledore's mind, was a force to be reckoned with even for someone like Voldemort. Albus Dumbledore had made a decision. It was time for him and Harry to have a very important discussion.  
  
Ron and Meagan left early that morning, as they had done the last couple of days, to grab some toast from the kitchen, and take off for a long walk around the grounds of the castle. Meagan had lived in a city for most of her life and she loved the peaceful walks around Hogwarts, especially with Ron accompanying her. She had really begun to like Ron. He had a lot of things she liked about him, but mostly it was his honesty. She had never met a boy before who had been more honest with her than Ron Weasley. He told her all about his brothers, and his insecurities dealing with following in their footsteps. He told her all about what it was like to be the Great Harry Potter's best friend, both the good and the bad. But mainly it was the small things. He was always very polite to her. He didn't interrupt her when she was talking. He always seemed interested in what she had to say. And even though he had grown a lot over the last year and was larger than most boys their age, he was very sensitive. She had grown very comfortable spending time with him over the past week as Ron was with her.  
  
Ron and Meagan's time alone had left Harry and Hermione alone together as well. They had always been comfortable together over the years though. In fact last year when Ron and Harry had their falling out, Hermione was Harry's only real friend. He didn't think he would have been able to get through that last year without her. But things had become a bit different between them both over the past couple of weeks. Harry had found out that he had a bit more than just a friend in Hermione. He had never really thought of her as a girlfriend before. Even last year when he was trying to find someone to ask to the formal dance, she hadn't crossed his mind. He had been so caught up in his crush with Cho, that he had never even considered Hermione. He had thought to himself about this a lot over the past few days. He remembered that night at the ball, and that the most beautiful girl there had been Hermione, and it wasn't just he who had thought so. The whole school was talking about the girl that Victor Krum had come to the dance with. The problem remained however that Harry didn't want to risk losing her as a friend. She was too important to him to lose, and he would rather have her as a friend for the rest of his life, than have her for a girlfriend for what might be just a short time. He had confidence in their relationship, but he was the Famous Harry Potter and the bad things that seemed to follow he and his loved ones, didn't let him see much chance of having more than just a friendship with Hermione.  
"Harry have you started looking though any of your OWL study guides yet?" Hermione asked him from across the common room.  
  
"Hermione, it's the beginning of the summer. We have loads of time before we even start school, much less OWLs." Harry said from behind the Daily Prophet.  
  
"You really should at least start.."  
  
"Hermione! Listen to this!" Harry said as he stared intently at the newspaper.  
  
"Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius Malfoy, found dead on grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Harry read on.  
  
"Two days ago, members of the summer staff at Hogwarts found the body of Draco Malfoy at the base of the Astronomy Tower. School officials say that the boy had shown up the night before his death, injured and in obvious distress and that he committed suicide by jumping off of the highest tower at the school. Lucius Malfoy isn't so sure. He has asked for an investigation into the death of his son. "I have asked the Ministry of Magic to investigate his death. I do not believe that my son committed suicide." The Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge seems to agree with him. "There are circumstances that we will be investigating regarding the boy's death. His father reported him missing the night before he was found dead and no one at the school including the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, have been unable to explain how he turned up there in the first place. We are going to sort this all out and will make sure that if there was any foul play, we will find it."  
  
A meeting is taking place this morning between Ministry Officials and school governors, where it is expected that Albus Dumbledore will be suspended while the investigation is taking place. According to the Ministry, this is only one of many controversial events that have taken place at the school over the past year or so. An unnamed school governor said that they have been candidly looking for a replacement for Albus Dumbledore, but have simply been unable to find any worthy candidates.  
  
After the events of the Tri-Wizard tournament that resulted in the death of Cedric Diggory, and now the unexplained death of Draco Malfoy, there are probably many parents who may think twice before letting their children attend the school next fall.  
  
The Ministry says it is going to make sure that these worries are addressed.  
  
We'll report more on this story as events unfold.  
Harry stared at the paper for a second, and then looked up at Hermione. She had the same surprised look on her face that Harry had. But both of the surprised looks went quickly to worried ones.  
  
"Oh no," Harry said. "They're going to force Professor Dumbledore to leave the school."  
  
"Harry they can't do that can they? They can't just suspend him after all he had done for this school?"  
  
"Hermione, I don't know. It seems that way though. Fudge and Malfoy together can cause problems for anyone, even Professor Dumbledore," Harry said.  
  
"There has to be something we can do," Hermione said. "There has to be someone who can set them straight. We can't just sit around and let."  
  
"Ms Granger, I do appreciate your concern, but I must ask that you not interfere in the business of the Ministry."  
  
Dumbledore was standing behind them smiling.  
  
"Professor!" Harry said as he stood up and threw the paper on the floor.  
  
"Harry I was coming to talk to you about what you have just read in the paper." He said.  
  
"Professor, how can they do this? I'll talk to them Professor. I'll tell them about what I saw, and what Draco told me. They'll have to listen to me sir."  
  
"Harry I am afraid that these are very complicated times. Cornelius Fudge and Lucius Malfoy are not just trying to cause problems for me. They may just end up trying to hurt both of us."  
  
"Both of us? What do you mean sir?" Harry asked him.  
  
Dumbledore walked to one of the large chairs and sat down. He then was about to begin talking again, when he stopped and looked at Hermione. "Ms. Granger, do you think that you might leave Harry and alone for a second?"  
  
"Yes sir." She said and turned to leave.  
  
"Professor, if you don't mind, I would really rather Hermione be here. I tell her everything anyway so it just might save me the trouble. Unless that is, of course sir that you insist we be alone." Harry said very seriously.  
  
Dumbledore looked at Hermione and smiled a very warm smile. Almost as though she had done something that he was very proud of.  
  
"Of course she can stay Harry." Dumbledore said.  
  
Hermione felt as though she had just scored 120% on an exam, but it was more than that. She felt as though she had earned Harry's ultimate trust. She tried her best to hide the smile that was almost tearing her face apart, but the seriousness of the situation brought her back down to Earth.  
  
"Harry, as you know, the Ministry has yet to acknowledge the fact that Voldemort has returned to power. Since they have not done so yet, Lucius Malfoy still holds a powerful place in society. He is using Fudge and the unfortunate incident with Draco to implicate that both you and I might have been responsible. The Ministry has a signed document from the governors of Hogwarts that orders my suspension effective immediately. They have also named Cornelius Fudge as the acting Headmaster. Harry, I would like to tell you that everyone will be safe here while Fudge runs the school, but this just wouldn't be true and it troubles me. Fudge has also told me that you will be investigated as a suspect in the death of Draco Malfoy."  
  
"Me? They think that I had something to do with Draco's death?" Harry asked.  
  
"Professor that's ridiculous. If anything Harry was trying to help Draco, not hurt him." Hermione said.  
  
"Hermione, I do not believe that Harry had anything to do with Draco's death. I also do believe that Harry was trying to help him. But the fact of the matter is that Lucius Malfoy is a very dark wizard that will stop at nothing to cause problems for both Harry and myself. He has told Fudge that Harry all but admitted to being involved in Draco's death, when Harry spoke to him outside my office."  
  
"Harry you never told me you said anything to Draco's dad about that?"  
  
"I didn't Hermione. He said a few things to me that made me very angry, and I did respond to him, but I never said anything like that. In fact I told him that I knew that he and Voldemort had something to do with Draco's injuries."  
  
"You did what?!?!" Hermione yelled.  
  
Dumbledore help up a finger that stopped their conversation.  
  
"Hermione, I heard the conversation between Lucius Malfoy and Harry. Harry was provoked a bit, but he did nothing more than I myself would have done. Harry only spoke this way to him after he had threatened Harry's life. Harry then simply told him, as I told him, that we both knew that he had been involved in the situation regarding Draco's injuries. But that is in the past now."  
  
Dumbledore slowly got up out of the chair and momentarily went to the window and stared at Ron and Meagan holding hands walking slowly outside on the grounds. He let a small smile creep across his face at the sight of this. When he turned back around, Harry could see how very old and tired Dumbledore suddenly looked.  
  
"Harry this situation causes complications that I did not foresee and has put you in danger. We have to take measures to protect you Harry, but I don't think that forcing you into hiding away from your friends is the answer at least not a long term answer. No matter what the Ministry finds in their investigation, I want you to remain here at the castle until I can make arrangements for you to stay the remainder of the summer elsewhere. Hermione, I will talk to both your and Ron's parents and inform them that I recommend that you return home for the summer."  
  
"Professor, I don't want to go home. I can't leave Harry here by himself." She said.  
  
"Hermione, it's won't be safe here if Professor Dumbledore isn't around. You know that," Harry said.  
  
"Then you can go home with me. My parents are both muggles, Voldemort would never think to look for you there. I can talk to them, they won't mind." She said with a worried voice.  
  
"Hermione, I can't do that. I would never put you and your parents in danger, Lucius Malfoy knows that we are friends he could find us if he really wanted to," Harry said.  
  
"Hermione, Harry is right. Plus, you and your parents wouldn't be able to provide any defense if something did happen and you found yourself in danger."  
  
Hermione started to talk again but Dumbledore put his hand up.  
  
"Listen to me, both of you," Dumbledore said. "I have asked the Ministry for a week to get my affairs in order here. They have granted me this request. I will meet with Moody and we will immediately begin a plan to ensue the protection of this school once the students are back. I will have support from the staff here and will be able to keep a close watch on things. I will also tell you that I will not be far away. I will need some time with my thoughts to plan your protection for the next two months Harry. I will meet with Arthur Weasley tomorrow and I will inform him of the plans we have made. Hermione, I will also write to your parents and will tell them to expect you back in a week's time. This decision is final and I ask that you honor this and understand that it is for the best." Dumbledore said.  
  
Hermione had a tear in her eye, but she nodded at Dumbledore to show that she would obey.  
  
"Now Harry, there is one thing that I need you to do starting tomorrow morning." Dumbledore said.  
  
"Yes sir?" Harry said.  
  
Dumbledore reached into his robe and pulled out his wand. He closed his eyes and gave his wand a quick wave. A very bright light, that looked almost like a small star appeared on the table before him. The light became quickly brighter then went out leaving a very old looking wooden box that was decorated in sparkling rubies. Dumbledore tapped the box with his wand and the top of the box disappeared leaving clearly what Harry recognized as a Pensieve. It wasn't the same Pensieve that he had seen in Dumbledore's office, but he knew it was a Pensieve nonetheless.  
  
"Harry tomorrow I need for you to spend some time with this." Dumbledore said.  
  
"Are these more of your thoughts sir?" Harry asked.  
  
Hermione just stared at the box. She had never seen a Pensive before. She had never even read about them and she had no idea what it was.  
  
"Harry these are the thoughts of Godric Gryffindor. It is in here you will learn more about your birth right. It is in here you will understand who you are." Dumbledore said.  
  
Harry didn't know what to say. He wanted to explore the Pensive right away. He didn't know why Dumbledore wanted him to wait, but Dumbledore always had his reasons.  
  
Harry sat down on the couch across from the Pensieve and stared at it. The swirling substance inside was almost hypnotizing. It seemed to called to him. It took him a second to realize that he had become caught up in it and he pulled his focus back to Professor Dumbledore.  
  
"Harry, don't trouble yourself with what's going on now. You concentrate on this Pensieve tomorrow and let me take care of addressing the other problems," he said.  
  
Dumbledore then looked at Hermione smiling. "Hermione, when you return to your home next week do not let these events distract you from your OWL studies. Between you and me, I have a friendly wager with Professor McGonagall that you will top her scores from when she went to school here."  
  
Hermione couldn't help but smile at this. Professor Dumbledore always had a way of making them all feel so safe, and right now they still felt this way. Although both were unsure about what might happen next week when he would be forced out.  
  
Hermione didn't want to go home. She didn't want to leave Harry while he went into hiding until the start of the school year.  
  
"I will see the both of you for dinner. I have been craving a dragon burger since early this morning. I almost asked Dobby if he minded making me one for breakfast, but then I decided to hold my craving until tonight." He said as he walked out of the common room.  
  
Harry kept staring at the Pensieve. Hermione got up from where she was sitting and walked over and sat down next to Harry. She took his hand in hers and began to stare at the Pensieve with him.  
  
"What is that Harry?" she asked quietly.  
  
"It's a Pensive." He said.  
  
"What does it do?"  
  
"It holds people's thoughts. Dumbledore has one in his office that he uses to put his memories in. When they are placed in one of these, anyone can visit them and see the memories the exact way that the person who deposited them did."  
  
Hermione's eyes got wide as she went from looking at Harry, to looking back at the Pensieve.  
  
"So Godric Gryffindor's personal thoughts are in there?"  
  
"I guess so." Harry said. "All those books I have been looking through, all that information I've been looking for, it's all now right in front of me."  
  
"Why do you suppose he wants you to wait until tomorrow Harry?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know. I am going to put it in my trunk thought, these things can be very distracting," he said thinking of when he found himself in Dumbledore's.  
  
Harry let go of her hand and picked up the Pensieve and then carried it slowly up to his dorm room. He carefully sat it down in his trunk and used his wand to magically lock it in there. When he turned around Hermione was standing behind him.  
  
"Harry, I don't want to leave you alone after next week. Do you know how sick I will be with worry?" she said as her voice cracked a bit.  
  
Harry stared at her for a second, then walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her giving her a deep hug.  
  
"I don't want to be away from you either Hermione. But Professor Dumbledore is right. It's better this way until school starts. I can't believe that idiot Fudge is doing this, but I think Professor Dumbledore and Moody will figure out something. They're both really brilliant."  
  
She put her head under his chin and started to cry softly.  
  
"It's okay Hermione. Everything will be fine," he said.  
  
She broke away from him for a second and looked up into his eyes. He wiped one of the tears off of her cheek and smiled at her.  
  
"Harry, that meant a lot to me when you asked Professor Dumbledore if I could stay in the room when he talked to you."  
  
"I trust you Hermione. I've always trusted you."  
  
She pulled him back into a hug. "I'm really scared Harry. If Dumbledore isn't here Voldemort could attack the castle any time he wants to. We could all be here at school and he could come right in and kill us all."  
  
"We wouldn't just let that happen Hermione. They'll think of something don't worry." 


	19. The Gryffindor Pensieve

Chapter 19 - The Gryffindor Pensieve  
  
Harry and Hermione showed Ron the article in the Daily Prophet and then explained to him the conversation that took place between them and Professor Dumbledore earlier. Ron handled it the same way that they had done, having a hard time standing by and accepting the fact that Fudge and Malfoy were driving Dumbledore out of the school. Neither Harry nor Hermione told Ron about the Pensieve. It wasn't that they didn't want him to know about it, but they were all so upset about being separated and Dumbledore being suspended, that it didn't cross their minds.  
  
Meagan had a hard time with it as well. Hermione and Ron spent a long time trying to comfort her. They were both worried that she had already started to hate their world because of all of the bad things that had happened in just a matter of a single summer. Meagan assured them that she would be fine spending time with her mother and studying for the next year, if they had all in fact had to go away until the start of the school year. Hermione even suggested that she could go spend the summer at her house with she and her parents, but Meagan refused to leave her mother alone even though she knew she would be really busy planning lessons for the school year.  
  
Later that night after dinner, they all stayed fairly quiet in the common room. Ron had a couple of ideas on how to get Dumbledore's and Harry's names cleared and one was that they find Lucius Malfoy, put the Imperius Curse on him, and get him to admit to Fudge that Voldemort is back and that he was helping him along with his Death Eater buddies. All of the ideas were quickly put down by Harry who kept reminding them all that Professor Dumbledore would figure out a plan that would bring everything back into the open. They all went to bed fairly early, but everyone had problems getting to sleep that night. Harry couldn't get his mind off of the Pensieve; Ron couldn't get his mind off of not seeing Meagan for two months until school started, and of course, Dumbledore not being there when he got back. Hermione was horribly worried about Harry and Dumbledore both.  
  
With Dumbledore she knew that he would be fine on his own, but Harry didn't have any place to go but the Dursley's and she knew he wouldn't be going back there. She thought about him maybe going into hiding with Sirius. She thought about how nice it would have been for Harry to come and stay with her at her parent's house, but she knew that Dumbledore and Harry were right. It just wouldn't be safe if they got into danger. Meagan was worried about Harry, and concerned about Dumbledore, but for the most part, she was worried about her mother. Her mom had a hard time dealing with her father's death. Meagan did too, but she and her mom had been able to pull together and really support each other during the hard times after he was gone. When Dumbledore had called her mother to tell her that a spot had opened up at the school that she would be perfect for, it was an answer to both of their prayers. Her mother needed something like this teaching job to get her life moving forward again. Plus it was the right thing for her mother to do. Meagan was at an age that she really needed a male father figure to guide her, both in her life and with her magical skill. Professor Dumbledore had been this person for Meagan's mother when she had gone to school here, and her mother had hoped that he would be able to be that person for her as well. Now, for all of them, there were many more questions than answers.  
  
The long night finally came to an end and the next morning they were all up early and had a good breakfast in the Great Hall. After breakfast, Meagan went into Hogsmeade with her mother to shop for classroom supplies and the other three went back to the common room. When they got there, both Harry and Hermione's mind went immediately to the Pensieve. Ron could tell that something was bothering them and when he asked them about it, Hermione was quick to answer.  
  
"Dumbledore gave Harry a Pensieve yesterday Ron," she said.  
  
"Dad has one of those. He uses it for stuff he needs to record after his raids at work" Ron said. "What's in it?"  
  
"It's Godric Gryffindor's Pensieve," Harry said. "It's something Professor Dumbledore told me I needed to start visiting starting this morning."  
  
"So, get after it! I want to see what you find in there." Ron said.  
  
Hermione did too. She seemed to be more anxious than even Harry was. It wasn't that Harry wasn't ready to go explore the Pensieve; he was just still worried about the situation with the Ministry. Did Fudge really think he was involved in Draco's death? What would they do if Lucius made him believe that he somehow was responsible? Is it possible he'd be sent to Azkaban for something he didn't do? He was tired of thinking about it. He went back to what he had been thinking and saying yesterday. Professor Dumbledore will make it right. He would make sure that everything was okay. He always did.  
  
"Go get it and bring it back here Harry." Hermione said to him pulling him away from his thoughts.  
  
"Yeah Harry, maybe we can see what's going on in there while you're looking at it." Ron said.  
  
Harry took a deep breath and then got up and slowly walked up the stairs to his trunk. He opened his trunk with his wand and then picked up the box containing the Pensieve and took it downstairs. He placed it on the table and stared at the silvery liquid-like substance that was swirling in the Pensieve.  
  
"Here goes nothing." Harry said after he took a deep breath.  
  
He looked at Ron and Hermione then kneeled down to the Pensieve and slowly placed his face close to the top of the container to sort of peek inside. He then leaned in a bit more, as though to get a closer look, and touched the surface of the liquid with his hand while touching the container at the same time. Ron and Hermione watched as Harry did this, and then almost jumped out of their seats when they both saw one of the brightest lights they had ever seen being emitted from the Pensieve. Both of them shielded the light from their eyes, and when they brought their hands down from their eyes, both Harry and the Pensieve, were nowhere to be found.  
  
"Is he supposed to just disappear like that?" Hermione asked Ron.  
  
"I don't think so. Usually Dad just kind of falls into it and I can see him down inside of it when he's looking at one of the thoughts." Ron said.  
  
"Should we go get Dumbledore?" Hermione asked.  
  
"I'll go get him. You wait here in case he comes back." Ron said.  
Harry didn't think anything was wrong yet, but he knew right away that this Pensieve was different from the one he had visited in Dumbledore's office. He found himself standing alone in a room that wasn't too unlike one of the many classrooms in Hogwarts. It was pretty plain with stone walls, a stone ceiling and a stone floor. The longer he looked at it the more convinced he was that he was still at Hogwarts. In fact knew how to know for sure. He walked over to a small window in the room he was in to find out. As he looked out the window he knew right away that he was still on the grounds of the castle, but something was. different. It took him a while before he noticed that he was overlooking an area that did look familiar, but oddly different at the same time. Where the Whomping Willow should be, there was nothing but a grass field, and where Hagrid's cabin should stand, there was nothing there but a clear opened entrance to the Forbidden Forest. He now knew he was at Hogwarts, so it wasn't a matter of where now, but when. It was clear to him that he must be at his school only hundreds, maybe even thousands of years before he was even born.  
  
Harry heard the door open behind him and he saw a tall and sort of lanky older wizard that had a long beard that resembled Professor Dumbledore's. His eyes were very green and Harry saw the resemblance right away and knew that he was now face to face with Godric Gryffindor. But this didn't seem to be a memory. At least Harry didn't think it was right away. Godric was staring right at him and he was smiling. Harry had always been really confused in these things. Even when he visited Tom Riddle's diary at first, he wasn't sure whether what he was seeing was real.  
  
"Hello Sir," Harry said waiting to feel foolish when the person didn't answer him.  
  
"Hello, Harry Potter. It's nice to finally meet you at last. My name is Godric Gryffindor."  
  
Harry's eyes widened. He walked towards the man who had his hand extended as if to present a handshake. He was reluctant at first not knowing if the man were real or not, but his question was answered immediately when he felt the man's hand in his, as they shook for a brief moment.  
  
"Harry I assume you know why you are here," he said in a soft voice.  
  
"Well, sort of sir. Professor Dumbledore explained some of it to me, but he just brought me the Pensieve yesterday and didn't really have time to explain it all. He is sort of in a bit of trouble," Harry said.  
  
"Well Harry, not to worry, you are but the next in a long line of my descendants. Our blood line is one of the strongest and oldest there is Harry and I setup a means many years ago where the line of our knowledge and power could be passed down from one to another. We have been in constant battle with many dark wizards over this power, but we have always prevailed. It has always been this way. Good will always prevails over evil Harry, and we must always be confident of that."  
  
Godric put his arm on Harry's shoulder.  
  
"Let's go into different chambers Harry, we have much to discuss," he said.  
Ron was running and almost ran into Professor Dumbledore just as he was walking from the entrance of his office.  
  
"Professor!" Ron said as he was gasping for air. "Professor. its Harry, the Pensieve sir."  
  
"Mr. Weasley, please calm yourself." Dumbledore said smiling.  
  
"The Pensieve sir, Harry. opened it and then he. disappeared." Ron said.  
  
"Yes Ron, I had hoped he would get to it first thing this morning," Dumbledore said.  
  
Ron looked up at him very puzzled. "So he was supposed to disappear sir?"  
  
"Yes Ron, he will be in there for some time. Don't worry yourself.. he'll be just fine," he said.  
Harry and Godric walked through the castle for a bit. It was the same castle, some of the artwork was different, but Harry recognized where he was. Everything looked a bit newer though. The bricks almost glimmered, the artwork was shiny with bright paint, and the smell was different, but it was definitely Hogwarts. Harry was expecting them to travel to where the Headmaster's Office usually was, but was surprised when they entered a small classroom that had several tables and chairs within it and a large table at the front.  
  
"Harry, please sit down. There are some things I would like to discuss with you."  
  
Harry sat down at the first table in a row right beside the door to the classroom. Godric took a seat directly in front of him where they were sitting face to face.  
  
"Harry, I know that at your age, what you are about to receive will be an enormous burden for you. But I would like to assure you that what you have already experienced so early in life has already greatly prepared you for this responsibility. You have been faced with many challenges and have already proven your brilliance and your bravery. You have also already discovered that one dark wizard, no matter how powerful they become individually, is nothing compared to a group of wizards linked under a common goal of good. When we began this school Harry, we wanted nothing more than to create a common environment of fellowship and learning. As you already know Harry, friendships created here at school are very powerful and you will continue to learn this and be awe inspired by these powerful bonds."  
  
"Sir, what happens to me when I receive this?" Harry asked.  
  
"Harry, do not fear yourself. Never doubt yourself. The confidence in yourself and your friends and loved ones is what created this power in the first place. It's always lived in you, and your blood. You mother is proof of this. She continues to be a powerful force in your life even though she has not been of your world for many years. But it is now time Harry. It will all become clearer very shortly. Harry, hold out your wand please," he said.  
  
Harry frowned still very much confused but took his wand out anyway and held it in his hand out in front of him.  
  
Godric smiled at him and touched his finger to the tip of Harry's wand.  
  
"Adnecto!" he said.  
  
Harry saw a light emitted from the tip of his wand and immediately felt it begin to warm and feel tingly under his grip.  
  
"Transfundo praepotens," were the next words Harry heard and then he suddenly saw everything go black.  
  
It was very peaceful. It was almost like Harry was floating in an air-tight room. There was no sound at all and because it was so dark, he couldn't even tell if he had his eyes open or closed. But he knew he was conscious. He was very aware that something was happening. Harry began to hear a muffled humming sound and the dark room began to slowly lighten, sort of the same way the night does during the short moments before sunrise, when there isn't any real color and hardly any light, but one can still feel the presence of the sun coming. The darkness and the absolute silence almost lulled him into a trance, and just when he realized how relaxed he had become, it was all replaced by a loud sound resembling rushing water. The sound increased slowly until it seemed like he was directly under a waterfall. The light had changed too; it was now a large flashing collage of colors rushing past his face and eyes. He was starting to feel dizzy from it and tightly closed his eyes, but he could still see them. He put his hands over his face covering his eyes, but it was the same thing. It was almost like the visions and sounds he was hearing were inside of him, sort of like hallucinations, although Harry couldn't honestly say what those were like since he had never had them. His dizziness subsided however, and the sounds and visions began to slowly come into focus.  
  
The sounds were voices, and the visions were people and places flashing by him almost like a movie in ultimate fast forward. It was almost unexplainable. Harry was seeing things-- places, people, events that happened who knows how many years ago. It was going by so fast. He caught a glimpse of a small girl running and screaming as she was being chased by a hooded wizard on a horse. Then he saw a flash and another quick vision of a group of wizards gathered around a fire while another hovered above the fire and talked to them in a deep voice with a strange language. He saw another vision of a duel between two very powerful looking wizards followed by events of war where he saw some of the most violent magic he had ever seen involving hundreds of wizards being blown apart with massive spells. He saw armies of wizards during obvious times of war performing calculated and perfectly timed spells that sometimes looked like protection spells of sorts, and sometimes attack spells that would blast through the other armies. Most were using spells that Harry had never heard or seen before. This had to be some of the old magic that he had heard both Dumbledore and Voldemort talk about. These visions kept blazing by, the sounds, the sights and even the smells; he was conscious of them all.  
  
The voices were so loud and there were so many that it sounded like the loud mixed up chatter last year at the Quidditch World Cup amongst the thousands of wizards that had attended. But this was different, because Harry could somehow understand every word that was being said and he somehow knew what was going on in every situation even though it was flashing by, appearing as though he were on the Hogwarts Express going a thousand times its normal speed while staring out the window at the scenery. His mind was making sense of what his eyes and his ears were unable to process properly. Harry became hardly aware of himself; he concentrated only on the experience, almost like he were a part of it all, or, that it was all a part of him.  
  
He saw a group of wizards gathered around a small table in an old pub drawing plans for what looked like the Hogwarts castle. He then saw hundreds of wizards magically moving stones and building what Harry saw quickly become the castle that he had been standing in only a few minutes before. He saw the four founders standing in front of what Harry somehow knew was the first student body ever to attend Hogwarts. He saw many years of different students and the classes that were taught there by the four of them. He felt the friction in its beginning stages between Salazar Slytherin and the other three founders. He saw the eventual breakup of the group and final words that Salazar had with Godric and the others: "You will be proven wrong," he could hear those words lingering in his ears.  
  
The events continued for a while and Harry had no sense of himself the entire time. He didn't feel hungry, tired, or thirsty; he didn't even feel the need to blink his eyes. He was just there and was soaking up everything that was being thrown at him. It wasn't long before the events began to slow down, and he found himself back in the chair with Godric Gryffindor staring at him smiling. Harry still had his wand out in front of him and he slowly pulled it back and then slipped it into his pocket never taking his eyes off of Godric.  
  
Suddenly he had become aware of himself again; his heart beating, his hands that seemed to be shaking a bit, and the beads of sweat that were forming on his forehead. He took a slow deep breath and exhaled it then looked down at the desk he was sitting at, but not really looking at it, more like through it. He wasn't looking at anything in particular, just trying to get all of his wits back and stop his head from racing.  
  
"It's a bit overwhelming Harry, but don't worry. The clouds will disappear and you'll know," he said.  
  
"Know what?" Harry asked him quietly.  
  
"You'll know what you've just been given," he said.  
  
Harry's eyes danced around looking at nothing in particular before he looked back up at Godric.  
  
"And what is it that I was just given sir?" he asked in a trembling voice.  
  
"Knowledge Harry. The knowledge of your birthright. You feel very confused now Harry, it's natural. It will take you a while before you will realize it. It's like awaking from an intense dream and trying to remember all of the details dealing with what you were dreaming about. Except this will come to you, clearer and clearer every day, but don't worry because it will all come to you in the end," he said.  
  
Godric then stood up causing Harry to do the same. He presented his hand and Harry looked at it for a second, blinked a few times, then shook it.  
  
"You are very strong Harry. Stronger that you know perhaps, and you will build on this strength as the years go on. Your friends will feed on your strengths and your enemies will begin to fear it. Go now Harry, we are finished here and you will need some rest. Spend time with yourself Harry; really get to know yourself and your limits. I am very proud of what you have accomplished so far. Take care of yourself."  
  
Harry wanted to say something but he was at a loss for words. He could only force a nod. After he let go of Godric's hand he found himself lying in his bed in the dorm room. He looked across and didn't see Ron so he assumed that it had to be late afternoon because he could tell that the sun was just going down. His mind was exceptionally full of different thoughts and different people and places. His head almost hurt from it. He got up and was a bit shaky when he put his feet on the floor. He held on to one of this bed posts until he felt a bit more stable, he then went into the bathroom and splashed his face with some cold water after he had removed his glasses. When he put them back on he stared at himself in the mirror. He could tell that something was different about him, he couldn't put his finger on it, but something was definitely different. 


	20. Information

Chapter 20 - Information  
  
Harry headed down to the common room and was surprised to find Hermione, Ron and Meagan sitting down there. What surprised him was the fact that he hadn't heard them, they were all sitting there fairly silent.  
  
"Why so quiet?" Harry asked them loudly.  
  
They all suddenly turned around and Hermione jumped up quickly.  
  
"Harry!" Ron said.  
  
"Harry what happened, where have you been?" Hermione said.  
  
"I was in the Pensieve." Harry said.  
  
"That whole time? Harry we thought you had left the castle or something." Ron said  
  
"What do you mean the whole time? It was just an afternoon right? How long was I in there?" Harry asked looking at them all.  
  
Hermione looked at Ron then back to Harry.  
  
"Harry you were in there for three days." She said.  
  
"Three days? You're kidding right? Three days?" Harry asked them.  
  
Meagan, Hermione and Ron all nodded at him with amazed looks on their faces. Harry walked down the stairs towards them and was met with Hermione who gave him a hug.  
  
"We were so worried Harry. Professor Dumbledore told Ron that you were supposed to disappear, but. they made him leave and he didn't get to tell us how long you'd be gone," Hermione said.  
  
"Made him leave? Where'd he go?" Harry said.  
  
"Fudge made him leave Harry." Ron said. "Fudge made him leave and he says he's running the school now."  
  
"I asked him if Professor McGonagall would be the headmaster when she got back but he gave me a dirty look and said that it was Ministry business now and for me to stay out of it." Hermione said.  
  
"He's a jerk." Meagan said. "He even told my mom that he would need to re- interview her because he didn't trust Professor Dumbledore's judgment anymore."  
  
"Dumbledore told me and Ron to leave Harry, when he found out they were going to make him leave early. But we wanted to stay until you came back. We were starting to wonder if you were coming back at all. What happened to you?" Hermione asked.  
  
Harry looked at the three of them for a second. Then walked over to a chair and sat down. The others looked at him for a second, but then sat down as well.  
  
"There are some things I haven't told you guys," he said softly.  
  
Meagan interrupted him. "Harry, I can go if you don't want to talk about this in front of me."  
  
Harry frowned at her for a second. "Meagan, you're our friend. You're part of this group now," he said.  
  
Ron and Hermione agreed.  
  
"Of course you are Meagan." Hermione said.  
  
"Yeah," Ron said grabbing her hand.  
  
Meagan smiled at them and then looked back at Harry. "Thanks guys. Sorry Harry, keep going."  
  
"Well, remember when I told you all about me being a descendant of Gryffindor?" he asked.  
  
They all nodded quietly.  
  
"There is something that was passed down to me, a family heirloom of sorts. That's what the Pensieve was. When I went inside of it, it took me back to Hogwarts. Back in time I mean. I was here at the castle, but it was back in Godric Gryffindor's time. He was there and spoke with me."  
  
"You talked with Godric Gryffindor?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Yes Hermione. At first I thought it was like a regular Pensieve, but it turned out to be something different; way different."  
  
Harry paused for a second and began to recall the moment when Godric touched his wand. The flashes suddenly came back, some of the memories, spells, and places. Harry slumped back in his chair. The others could see a glazed look in his eyes.  
  
"Harry, are you okay?" Ron asked.  
  
When Ron spoke it pulled Harry back to them.  
  
"Harry you've been gone for three days. Are you sure you don't want to get some rest first? You look really tired," Hermione said.  
  
"I am tired Hermione. I don't think I have ever been more tired in my life," he said. It wasn't a lie either. He had just now fully noticed it. Godric had told him that he would need to get some rest, but he wanted to finish. He wanted to tell them what he could. He knew they were anxious to know.  
  
"I can go on. Then I just need some food and lots of sleep I think," he said smiling.  
  
"Godric explained to me that back when he was alive, he had found a way to pass on his knowledge and memories, and I think his power as sort of a family heirloom. He said that it was my time to receive it. He made me pull my wand out, and then he touched it and made them. all go into me." Harry's voice kind of trailed off as he finished the last few words.  
  
"Made what go into you Harry?" Hermione asked with a worried voice.  
  
"I'm not sure. Memories and places, and I remember things... things that happened. I remember spells and people and. stuff I don't even know what they are exactly."  
  
Harry was obviously confusing them. But he was confused as well. Every time he thought back to what had happened, his mind began to race as if injected with some sort of drug. He had trouble controlling it.  
  
"I'm not sure what's happened. He told me that it would start making more sense in time. He told me that I needed to get some rest, but he told me that it would slowly start making sense."  
  
Harry looked down at the table and then back up at them.  
  
"I can't believe I've really been gone for three days," he said shaking his head.  
  
Hermione stood up and went over to him. She put her hand on his forehead.  
  
"You're burning up Harry. We can talk more about this later. Ron, can you go get him some food and pumpkin juice from the kitchen?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah I'll go." He said.  
  
"I'll help." Meagan said quickly getting up behind Ron.  
  
They both quickly walked out of the common room.  
  
Harry looked up at Hermione and he still had a confused look on his face.  
  
"What's happened to me Hermione?" he said softly.  
  
She sat down beside him and grabbed his hand with both of hers.  
  
"I don't know Harry but I doubt it was anything bad. It sounds to me like he really gave you something very powerful. If he said that it would make more sense to you later, then I am sure he's right. We'll just have to wait and see. Professor Dumbledore didn't seem too worried about you being gone. Anyway, you look really tired, why don't you go up and get some rest. I'll bring the food up to you when Ron gets back," she said.  
  
He looked into her eyes and smiled. Looking into her eyes seemed to make him feel better. They had done that more than a few times over the last several days.  
  
"Okay. I may not be able to stay awake long enough to eat anything though." He said.  
  
"If you're asleep I can just leave it by your bed. If you wake up hungry you can snack on it," she said.  
  
Harry got up and walked back up to his dorm room. Each step he took got a bit more difficult than the previous one. He was starting to feel as though he had in fact been awake for three days straight. His brain was really hurting him from strain. He didn't bother changing into his pajamas. He took his glasses off, then kicked his shoes and socks off his feet and fell on the bed. He was asleep just a few seconds after his head hit the pillow. Hermione walked in a few minutes later and did as she said and sat the food down on the table by his bed. She had felt better now that he was back. At least she wasn't worrying about him being gone, but she was still worrying. She wasn't sure what had happened to him. The events of the last three days seemed very overwhelming and it hadn't quite sunk in for either she or Ron, but she was sure that it possibly involved something very powerful which usually also meant dangerous. She gently woke him up and told him that the food was on the table. She also made him get under the covers before letting him drift back off to sleep. As she stared at him she couldn't help but smile, she was so glad that he was back safely. She leaned down and gave him a kiss and walked back down to the common room.  
Wormtail made his way through the small village trying not to be too conspicuous. But the small balding wizard was just too nervous and he didn't realize that he was looking over his shoulder almost every ten seconds to make sure he wasn't followed. No one paid him much attention however. He was still very shaky though. His master had made it very clear that the consequences would be very severe if he led anyone here. He leaned up against a post and stared at two wizards that were behind him, and kept staring at them as they walked by chattering happily about the weather. They didn't seem to be too concerned about him standing there in fact they didn't even notice him. He turned and walked down the alley that was directly behind him and didn't even notice the black dog watching him from across the street.  
Hermione walked down the stairs and sat down by Meagan and Ron. She and Ron shared a look of concern for Harry. Hermione finally felt the need to say something about it.  
  
"Ron what is he going to do? After you and I go home I mean, where's he going to go? He can't stay here." Hermione said.  
  
"Hermione, I don't know. But we promised Professor Dumbledore we would go home tomorrow," Ron said.  
  
"Ron, how can he expect us to just leave him here?" she said.  
  
"Hermione, we can't stay here. You know we can't. Harry will probably end up staying with Moody at his house or something. We can't worry about that, he'll be okay." Ron said.  
  
"I hope your right Ron. Things are getting really messed up. When Fudge finds out that Harry is back, he'll probably want to see him," she said.  
  
"I don't like that guy, and if he weren't dad's boss I'd tell him so." Ron said with a tough voice.  
  
"Ron, get real, he's the Minister of Magic, even if he wasn't your dad's boss, you still can't talk to him that way. You don't want to get on his bad side Ron. Look at what he did to Dumbledore," she said.  
  
Ron yelled in frustration and walked over to the Foe-Glass to possibly try and break it like Harry had done. It had been facing the wall. When he turned it around he almost yelled out loud. He signaled for Hermione and Meagan to come and look at it. Instead of one shadowy figure, there was now several; so many in fact that the shadows seemed to all blend in together. They all stared at the mirror and Hermione gave a small whimper before she let her eyes gaze up towards the room that Harry was sleeping in.  
  
"What are we going to do Ron?" Hermione asked.  
  
Ron looked at the mirror with anger in his eyes, before he turned it back around to face the wall. "Nothing Hermione. There isn't anything we can do. Not now anyway. We just have to trust Dumbledore just like Harry said. We'll go home tomorrow, and when Dumbledore gets this all straightened out, we'll come back. Harry will be fine."  
  
Meagan didn't know what to say. She walked up behind Ron and grabbed his hand. He looked at her and then gave her a reassuring look that tried to tell her that everything would be okay, even though he wasn't sure that was true.  
The large black dog waited across from the alley for the short wizard to reemerge. It was a few hours later before he saw several wizards come into view. They would come out a few at a time, and would keep walking out of site. Then another few would come out of the alley and do the same. He kept a close watch and kept counting them. He wanted to gather as many details as he could about what these wizards were up to. His count kept growing, five, ten, fifteen, eighteen, twenty two, and then finally the short wizard appeared. He came out and leaned against the same pole he had used to rest against just a few hours before. The short wizard looked into the direction that the wizards had walked until they were all gone into the darkness. He didn't look nearly as nervous as he had before. Evidentially he had fulfilled his masters' request and was a bit more relaxed, almost proud of himself. He stood up straight and then began to walk down the street. The black dog followed him and stayed in the shadows so that it wasn't detected. When the wizard reached the edge of the village, the black dog made his move. He ran quickly and silently behind the wizard and when he became very close, he leapt at the small wizard's back. When he was mid-air he transformed into a man, wrapped his arms around the small wizard's neck and pulled him down. He freed one of his hands, and with one quick movement pulled his wand from his robe and stunned the smaller wizard with it up around his neck. He then conjured ropes and snugly bound the unconscious wizard so that when he did awake, he would be unable to move or yell for help.  
  
"Nice to see you again Wormtail. Let's get you to a safe place then we'll wake you up and see what you and your close friends were discussing back there."  
That night, Harry, had a series of strange dreams. In the first dream he had, he was looking down on an enormous group of people. He seemed to be standing on some sort of balcony of a large castle. There were thousands of people looking up at him as though they were waiting for something to happen."  
  
"Sire, the people are waiting."  
  
Harry looked over his shoulder and saw an older looking wizard talking to him.  
  
"Excuse me?" Harry asked him.  
  
"The people, my Lord. The people are waiting for you to speak with them sire," the small wizard said again pointing down on the large crowd.  
  
"Me? Why would they want me to speak with them?" Harry asked.  
  
"Is sire feeling okay?" the wizard said again.  
  
"I think I am okay." Harry said but he really wasn't sure about that question now.  
  
"Well sire, the people want you to tell them sire. They want to hear about the victory. They want to hear about how you stopped the killings sire. About how you and the others stopped the Dragon's Wizards sire."  
  
"The what?" Harry said.  
  
"The Dragon's Wizards sir. The Dark Wizards. Sire, you are not feeling well at all are you?" he asked.  
  
"I guess not." Harry said.  
  
Harry turned back to look over the crowd but instead found himself sitting in a classroom. He was surrounded by wizards that all seemed to be at least in their twenties. There was an old woman at the head of the class and she was drawing something on an old blackboard.  
  
"Today we will be continuing our Alchemy discussion. Please take out your cauldrons and your supplies for studies," she said.  
  
Harry looked around and saw everyone reaching under their tables and pulling out supplies. He was very confused, but reached under his desk anyway and didn't find any supplies. He then stuck his head under his desk and saw a pair of feet in front of him that suggested that someone was suddenly sitting at the same table as he was, but directly across from him. He rose his head up quickly and hit the back of his head on the table when he did. He was rubbing the back of his head with his eyes closed, but when he opened them, he was no longer in a classroom; instead he was in some sort of pub with a very large man sitting across from him.  
  
"Did you find it sir?" the man asked.  
  
"Find what?" Harry asked him still rubbing his head.  
  
"Your wand sir, did you find it? You said you dropped it under the table, remember?"  
  
Harry was confused again, and it seemed to show because the large man smiled at him.  
  
"Maybe sir bumped his head a bit too hard eh?" he said laughing loudly.  
  
The smile quickly went away though and was followed by a serious look. "I hope you found it sir, because they just walked in the door."  
  
"Who walked in the door?" Harry asked.  
  
"Mylor, sir. He and two of his followers are here sir. Should we take them now, or wait till they've had a few drinks?"  
  
Harry didn't know who Mylor was or even who the large wizard across from him was. He was beginning to panic.  
  
"Umm... Let's wait till they've had a few drinks." Harry said.  
  
"Good idea sir. I need one myself," the large wizard said smiling again.  
  
Harry put his hands under his glasses and rubbed his eyes. When he pulled his hands away, he was now sitting in a small kitchen. The large wizard wasn't there anymore. No one was. He was alone. He looked around and saw a tea kettle over a small fire in the stove. The kettle began to whistle and he heard someone come through the door behind him. It was a woman.  
  
"Good morning honey, did you sleep well?" she said.  
  
Harry stared at her for a second to make sure she was talking to him. She stared at him waiting for an answer.  
  
"Umm. yes I slept well thanks." Harry lied. He had no idea who this woman was.  
  
Then he heard small, quick footsteps behind him.  
  
"Good morning father!"  
  
It was a small girl of maybe five or six years old. She walked up to Harry and pulled herself up into his lap.  
  
"Father, can we go down to the river today?" she asked.  
  
Harry didn't say anything. He was a Father? What was going on? Who was the woman and this little girl?  
  
"Sweetie, daddy has got to work today. He can take you to the river tomorrow," the woman at the tea kettle said.  
  
These weird dreams went on for a while until Harry found himself awake in his dorm room bed. He sat up and looked over and saw Ron asleep. He was so shaken by the dreams he had experienced, it took him a while before he looked away from Ron. He saw the food that Hermione had put by his bed the night before. It was morning, very early, but it was in fact morning. He went to the bathroom and got a shower, then walked down to the kitchen and got some breakfast. He was starving. He spent a while listening to Dobby talk about what he did on his last day off, which turned out to be doing extra work for a family in Hogsmeade, then he decided he would go to the Headmaster's office and see if Fudge was there. He wasn't about to be accused of something unless he had the chance to defend himself. As he walked to the office entrance and gave the gargoyle the password, it didn't work. Fudge must have changed it.  
  
Harry decided to wait for him. He sat outside of the office for about fifteen minutes, and then decided to head back to the common room. On the short walk back he realized that his mind seemed a bit calmer. Other than him still thinking about the dreams he had the night before, he had control of his thoughts again. He could actually concentrate on something now.  
  
When he got back to the common room, Hermione was there sitting on the couch, eating some toast and reading the Daily Prophet.  
  
"Good morning Harry. You feeling any better?" she asked smiling.  
  
"Yeah, loads better thanks. I had some really weird dreams last night though Hermione. They were so real and so vivid. It was like I was living other people's lives. In one, I was some sort of leader fighting Dragon's Wizards or something like that, in another I was in a classroom studying Alchemy, and another I was trying to catch someone named Mylor." Harry told her.  
  
"Mylor and Dragon's Wizards, Harry?" Hermione said.  
  
"Yeah." Harry said.  
  
"You must have done too much reading in the restricted section Harry. Mylor was the leader of a large group of dark wizards like way over a thousand years ago. They were responsible for thousands of people's deaths and were finally stopped by a group of wizards trained by Merlin I think. And the Dragon's Wizards used dark magic to tame dragons. They were really evil wizards too and were kind of like the Death Eaters are now, except they would use dragons to kill people and burn villages and stuff."  
  
Harry slumped back into his chair. He knew right away that these dreams had something to do with what Godric had given him. It took Hermione a second, but she realized it too.  
  
"Harry do you think this has something to do with."  
  
"Yes." Harry didn't let her finish.  
  
"Harry, Professor Dumbledore wants Ron and me to leave today but I don't want to. I can't leave you here alone like this," she said.  
  
"I won't be alone Hermione. I'm sure I can go stay at the Leaky Cauldron, or get a room in Hogsmeade, or I could even go stay with Lupin," he said.  
  
"Please just go somewhere where you'll be safe Harry. Please tell me that you will. And promise me you'll send me an owl when you do, I'm going to be sick with worry anyway," she said.  
  
Harry got up and pulled her up from her chair by her hand. He then pulled her into a hug and they wrapped their arms around each other tightly.  
  
"I'll be fine Hermione. I promise I'll take care of myself. I told you and Ron both to just have faith in Dumbledore, he'll come through.  
  
They sat there for a second in their embrace.  
  
When are you catching your train?" he asked her.  
  
"Ron and I both are going into Hogsmeade later this afternoon. He's going to take the floo home, and I am going to stay at the Leaky Cauldron tonight, and then catch my train home out of London tomorrow," she said fighting back tears.  
  
"Harry, I am really going to miss you. Please keep safe and promise to send me an owl. oh yeah that reminds me, Hedwig is upstairs. She had a message for you. I told her to wait upstairs and that you'd be right back," Hermione said as she let go of him and wiped her eyes.  
  
"Oh, maybe it's from Professor Dumbledore," he said suddenly and then he ran up the stairs.  
Sirius had a special cave that he'd found, and it was here that he had been spending the past few days. It wasn't too unlike the cave outside of Hogsmeade that he had become accustomed to staying at during the end of Harry's last school year. He brought his prisoner back to the cave that night and secured him to some homemade shackles that he had wedged into the cave wall with netting below it to prevent this particular prisoner from changing form. He used his wand to tie him up to the shackles, and then revived his prisoner.  
  
Wormtail's eyes immediately widened when he saw his old friend come into focus. He knew that last time he had him in his clutches, Sirius wanted to kill him. He doubted that this time he would feel any different.  
  
"Hello Wormtail. It's nice to see you again. I see you have a nice new hand down there; it even has all of the fingers." Sirius said talking about the magical hand that Voldemort had made for him.  
  
"Sirius, it's good to see you too Sirius. You have to help me Sirius, it's who-know-who Sirius, he has control of me, and I can't get away from him. He even did that to my hand. He took my real hand Sirius." he said hysterically.  
  
"Save all of your talk Peter. I'm not going to kill you. At least not right away.. Tell me something Peter; I want you to tell me everything that is going on and I might just hand you over to the Ministry instead of torturing you to death."  
  
Wormtail's mouth involuntarily opened and the lower part of his jaw began to shake.  
  
Sirius knew right away that he had already placed a good load of fear into his old friend.  
  
"Peter, tell me what you and your friends were doing back there in the village. What were so many of you gathering for?" he said.  
  
"Gathering? I. I.don't know. don't know what you're talking about," he said.  
  
"Peter, don't play dumb with me. I'll go ahead and tell you that I have been following you for some time now. You aren't very smart Peter. You were never very smart. So don't play games with me, I don't have the patience or the time for it. I'll simply start to hurt you Peter, hurt you very bad. Now let's try this again. I'll make it easy for you. Answer my questions quickly because every second that you stall, is a second that I hold the Cruciatus Curse on you Peter. And, look at me Peter, look me in the eyes. You've known me for a long time, long enough to know that I am not bluffing you."  
  
Wormtail's jaw kept shaking. He could see the matted hair, the dirty face, and the seriousness in his old friend's eyes.  
  
"Now let's start Peter. You're meeting tonight; they were all Death Eaters right?"  
  
"Right, yes Right" Wormtail said quickly.  
  
"Voldemort sent you to tell them something right?"  
  
"Right, yes. Uh-huh," he said quickly.  
  
"Good Peter. You're doing well. Please don't make me hurt you. Please keep answering, because I can promise you that no one outside of the cave can hear you scream," Sirius said plainly.  
  
"Peter, what did Voldemort send you to tell those men in there?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Padfoot, old friend. Call me Wormtail. Remember? I'm Wormtail." He said.  
  
"Crucio!"  
  
Wormtail screamed louder than he had ever screamed in his life. The pain was unexplainable. Then, just as quick as it came, the pain was gone. He was gasping for air and he had begun to cry and drool on himself while sobbing.  
  
"Peter, I'll give you a few free seconds to recover from that. But as I warned you, answer me immediately or you'll pay with pain. I'm not fooling around here. Now that you seem to have recovered from that, I'll ask the question again."  
  
"What did Voldemort send you to tell those men?"  
  
"A plan. He sent me to tell them about a plan. of attack," said Wormtail.  
  
"Peter you really aren't answering my question. Another round of pain perhaps?" Sirius said raising his wand.  
  
"No! No! It's a plan of attack; they are going to attack the school. The school, Sirius."  
  
"Hogwarts, Peter?" Sirius said with his wand raised.  
  
"Yes Sirius, he wants them to attack the school."  
  
"Why the school Peter? What's happening at the school?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Because Dumbledore has been suspended. He's not there. Moody's gone too. Harry Potter is there unprotected," Wormtail said.  
  
"So they're trying to take over the school, but why Peter?"  
  
"Fudge is there running the school now. They are supposed to take Fudge alive. Voldemort wants him alive. Voldemort wants the castle. He wants control of the castle," he said.  
  
"So what about Harry, Peter. What are they supposed to do with Harry?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Kill him Sirius. Voldemort told me to tell them to kill him," he said.  
  
Sirius stared around at the castle for a brief second in thought. Dumbledore gone? Fudge running the school? He hadn't seen a Daily Prophet in several days so he had no idea if what Peter was saying was true.  
  
"When Peter?"  
  
"What? What?" he said shaking badly.  
  
"When are they supposed to attack the castle Peter?" Sirius said again, now yelling.  
  
"Tomorrow Sirius. They all went to Hogsmeade tonight, after the meeting. Tomorrow they're going to attack," Wormtail said.  
  
Sirius felt his stomach drop. It was already four in the morning. Even as a dog he could never make it to the castle by sunrise. He was too weak and hadn't slept in days. He could never stop an attack of over twenty men, or even find enough allies to help in time.  
  
"What time tomorrow Peter?"  
  
"I don't know!"  
  
"Crucio! What time tomorrow?"  
  
"Ahhhhhh.. I. don't..know."  
  
"What time Peter? Crucio! What time?"  
  
Peter's screaming in the cave was causing an eerie echo that made it sound as though there were ten men screaming instead of just one. Sirius pulled the curse off of him after a few seconds and stared over him.  
  
"What time Peter?" he said softly.  
  
Wormtail was limp with only the shackles holding him up. He was crying loudly and his wrist was bleeding where the shackle had almost cut him to the bone.  
  
"I.don't.know.Sirius. Please I don't know. They.are.just.supposed to..attack when they.. when they are ready," he said struggling to talk from the sobs.  
  
Sirius believed him  
  
His problem now was that he didn't have a way to aid against this attack. Even if he could get there in time, he could never get to Harry without being seen. He used his wand to again snugly tie Wormtail so that he couldn't move or talk. He even pointed out to him that if he did decide to change to his rat form; he would fall into the contraption, become trapped and then probably be eaten by one of the large cave bats. Sirius needed to rush to the village and find an owl to send Harry a message. He knew that if in fact Fudge was running the school, that Harry needed to just get away from the castle to make sure that he was safe. He couldn't risk sending a warning directly to Fudge if the Death Eaters had already captured him. This wasn't a comfortable plan, but it was the only one he had, given the lack of time. It was a long shot.  
  
When he got into the village, he scribbled a message on some trashed paper to Harry then gave it to a small speedy looking owl.  
  
"Sorry this isn't parchment but please take this to Hogwarts as fast as you can. Try to find Hedwig in the owlrey and have her deliver this to Harry herself. If you can get there quick enough, I'll show you the fattest rat you've ever seen when you get back. He'll be the best meal you've ever had," Sirius said stroking her under her head.  
  
The owl hooted happily and zipped off into the night. Sirius took another piece of paper out of the trash and scribbled another message to Dumbledore. He then found another owl ready for the task and rubbed its wing while he attached the message. He saw that his hands were now shaking badly. It was probably from lack of food, sleep, and now horrible worry all combined.  
  
"Please find him. And Please hurry." Sirius said.  
Harry walked up to his dorm room and saw Ron still sleeping in his bed, and that Hedwig was also sleeping perched on the chair by the window. Harry smiled at her but he didn't see a message on her leg. He began to walk over to her, but then spotted a dirty piece of what looked like packing paper folded clumsily on his bed. He pulled it open and read it silently.  
Harry  
  
You're in danger. Death Eaters are going to attack the castle today. You have to get yourself out right now. Do not go to Fudge. Don't try to be a hero and do something stupid. Just get out. They'll be coming from Hogsmeade so don't go that way. Don't waste time collecting your things. Get out immediately. Make sure Hedwig comes with you so you can send her to tell me where you are.  
  
Sirius.  
Harry dropped the letter on the floor and then stared up at a sleeping Ron. 


	21. Escape

Chapter 21 - Escape  
  
Harry's heart began to throb in his chest and his hands began to shake. He was still staring at Ron when he closed his eyes and calmed himself down.  
  
He then reached down and picked up the letter from Sirius and walked over to Ron.  
  
"Ron.. Ron, wakeup." Harry said as he gently shook him.  
  
"What? What is it?" Ron said in a grumpy voice.  
  
"Ron, stay quiet and wake up hurry, something bad is happening." Harry said.  
  
Ron got up quickly and looked around the room Harry started throwing clothes at him.  
  
"Ron you have to get dressed and then come quietly down to the common room. Here read this. Hedwig just brought it; I'm going to get Hermione." Harry said handing the tattered letter to Ron.  
  
Ron began to read the letter when Harry hurried out of the common room. He looked down at Hermione who was still sitting in the common room reading.  
  
"Um, Hermione. I need to you come here for a second. Please Hurry." Harry said trying to sound calm.  
  
"What's wrong Harry?" she said and she put down her book.  
  
"Just hurry please." Harry said.  
  
Hermione knew right away that something was wrong. She took the steps two at a time until she was face to face with him.  
  
"What's wrong?" she said again.  
  
"Hermione, the letter that Hedwig brought was from Sirius. He says for us to leave the castle immediately. He says that Death Eaters are coming to attack the castle today."  
  
Harry could tell that Hermione was about to go into a serious panic.  
  
"Hermione listen to me. Get Meagan up and dressed immediately. Ron is changing clothes. We can ask questions later. Just hurry and get her up and dressed and come back out here. And make sure you both have your wands." Harry said.  
  
Hermione stood in front of him for a second. There were questions that were swirling in her head accompanied with panic.  
  
"NOW!" Harry said sternly.  
  
She looked at him with surprise and then took off running towards the dorm room.  
  
Harry then went back to his dorm room. When he got back he saw Ron putting his shoes on.  
  
"Harry, where are we going?"  
  
Harry really didn't know that yet. He walked over to Hedwig who had awoken when Harry had burst back through the door.  
  
"Hedwig, can you go down to Hagrid's and wait behind the cabin for me? We have to leave the castle and I need you to come with us. But I can't bring your cage."  
  
She hooted softly and then took off out of the window.  
  
"Ron, make sure you get your wand."  
  
"Already got it Harry," he said patting his pocket.  
  
Harry walked back out of the dorm room and was followed by Ron. They both walked down to the common room when Hermione and Meagan soon came down after them.  
  
"What are we going to do?" Hermione asked in a worried voice.  
  
"We have to leave until we can find Sirius, Moody or Dumbledore. We need to find them and let them know what's going on." Harry said.  
  
"How are Death Eaters getting into the castle?" Ron asked.  
  
"With Dumbledore gone, they can just walk right into the front door. Fudge isn't going to stop them. He doesn't even believe that Voldemort is back." Harry said.  
  
"Okay, let's get going. Everyone have your wands ready. Hermione, quickly show Meagan a few disarming spells on the way in case she needs to defend herself."  
  
Meagan had a look of sheer terror on her face now. She had no idea what was really going on, but when Harry just said that she might need to defend herself, the fear became realized.  
  
"Oh no." Meagan said.  
  
"Meagan, it'll be okay. We won't let anything happen to you." Ron said.  
  
"Ron it's not that," Megan said, "it's mom. She had an early meeting with Fudge. We can't leave her here Harry. She's up there with him right now."  
  
Harry put his hands up to his face.  
  
"What is it Harry, we can let Meagan go get her right? No one will be looking for her." Hermione said.  
  
"Sirius said not to go to Fudge." Harry said shaking his head. "I'm not sure why, but I'd bet if Death Eaters are coming here, you can bet they'll take Fudge out immediately."  
  
Harry looked around in thought for a second. "I'll be right back," he said. He then ran back up to the dorm room. When he came back down he had his invisibility cloak with him.  
  
"I'm going for Meagan's mom. You three get down to Hagrid's cabin. If I'm not there fairly quickly, send a message to Dumbledore with Hedwig. She'll be waiting there." Harry said.  
  
"Harry no." Hermione said.  
  
"I'm not letting you go up there by yourself mate." Ron said.  
  
"Listen, Ron you need to look after the girls. I'll be fine. I can move more quickly in the cloak by myself. Plus both me and Meagan's mom can fit under there if we get into trouble, three of us can't. We are running out of time. They could be here any minute. They could already be here." Harry said.  
  
Hermione had tears in her eyes as she threw herself at Harry and gave him a hug. "Be careful Harry," she said. She then kissed him on the cheek and quickly let go of him to wipe the tears from her eyes.  
  
"I will; come on let's get moving. Be very quiet when you're going down there. If you hear anyone coming down the corridor, try to find a place to hide. If you don't recognize them, stun them, and just get away." Harry said.  
  
They all made their way through the portrait hole very quietly. Ron and the others took off slowly in the opposite direction. Harry quietly went into a gallop towards the Headmaster's office.  
  
The entire castle seemed unnaturally quiet. Harry was right outside of the room to the entrance of the Headmaster's office when he stopped again to listen for voices. He still didn't hear anything; not even muffled voices. He threw the cloak over his body and slowly walked into the room to find the staircase had already risen up to the office. Fudge or someone else must be up there.  
  
Harry slowly crept up the stairs and as he got closer to the top he heard muffled voices coming from inside of the office. As he crept closer to the door, he could make them out from inside.  
  
"Well Mrs. Livingston, I have no doubts that you will be more than qualified for our Potions Master opening. I do apologize for having to do this interview, but as I explained before I do have to question Albus' judgment after some of the bad decisions he's made over he past year or so. I do fear that his age is beginning to catch up with him."  
  
"Thank you Mr. Fudge, it's been a pleasure to finally meet you. I have read of the many wonderful things you have accomplished since becoming Minister. It's been an honor really."  
  
"Well, thank you dear. If there is anything I can do, don't hesitate to ask."  
  
Harry knew right away that this was the meeting that Meagan had talked about between her mother and Fudge. He waited patiently outside the door for her to walk out. It wasn't long before he heard the door knob turn, the door open, and then saw her begin to walk out. Harry waited for the door behind her to close before he said anything.  
  
"Professor Livingston!" Harry said in a loud whisper.  
  
She had already begun to walk down the steps when she stopped, turned around and looked behind her and stared around the empty room. She didn't see anyone, but she was sure she had heard a voice.  
  
Harry quickly realized that he was still under the cloak, so he quickly opened it and held his finger up to his lips signaling her not to say anything.  
  
Professor Livingston's eyes got wide when she saw Harry and she walked over to him slowly.  
  
"Harry, what's going on?" she asked.  
  
"Shhhhh" Harry said holding his finger back up to his mouth.  
  
She walked right up to Harry who stood up when she got close.  
  
"Professor Livingston. I had to come up here to get you. We're in danger. I got a letter saying that the Death Eaters are planning an attack on the castle today. We need to get out." Harry said whispering.  
  
"Harry is this." she began to ask, but was interrupted by Harry quickly.  
  
"Professor, please keep your voice down, Fudge will hear us." He said.  
  
She frowned at him but decided to whisper anyway.  
  
"Harry is this some sort of joke? If it is, it isn't funny at all. Fudge already talked to me about you and he isn't sure you are going to even be allowed to stay here this summer," she said.  
  
"Professor, this is no joke. Listen to me. We have to get out of here and meet the others down at Hagrid's cabin. We are in danger. This isn't a joke. Now, let's get out of here, you have to follow me quickly." He said.  
  
She could tell that Harry seemed really convinced that something was going on. She wasn't too sure yet, but decided to follow him anyway.  
  
Harry slowly got in front of her and started to walk down the stairs when he could see the shadows of some wizards that were coming through the door below them. He turned quickly to Professor Livingston.  
  
"They are already here, quick, over here. Get under the cloak with me." Harry said as he pulled her by the arm into a corner of the office.  
  
He then pulled the cloak over the both of them. Professor Livingston still wasn't sure what was going on, but quickly made sure the cloak was securely over her when she heard footsteps and voices from below begin to walk up the steps.  
  
The voices got clearer as the footsteps got louder.  
  
"Remember, we can't kill him. Just stun him so we can put the Imperial on him later. If there is anyone in here with him, we'll have to get rid of them. We can't afford for anyone to know what's going on here," said a deep voice.  
  
"Let's hurry this up," One of the other voices said. "I want to be the one to find Potter. I want to be the one famous for killing him. The Dark Lord will reward me with power I'd bet."  
  
"Potter'd probably deal with you in his sleep," said a third voice trying to hide a laugh.  
  
They were now in the room. There were three men that Harry had never seen before. All three, were large men wearing dirty black robes. They looked very scary and very formidable and Harry heard Professor Livingston's breathing start to get very quick and shallow. He knew that she was now terrified and obviously now knew that Harry was telling the truth.  
  
The three stopped outside of the Headmaster's office and listened for voices from inside. When they didn't hear any, one of them signaled to the other two that he was about to go through the door.  
  
The other two stood back and pulled out their wands and watched as the door was magically blasted opened. All three of them quickly ran inside.  
  
A scream of panic was heard from Fudge, followed by a spell from one of the men. The chaos seemed to be over quickly.  
  
"Go check the upper quarters and make sure there isn't anyone else here. Then head down and begin searching the castle with the others," a voice said.  
  
Professor Livingston saw that Harry had pulled his wand out of his cloak. She then grabbed him by the arm when she saw him start to crawl out from behind the invisibility cloak.  
  
"Harry what are you doing?" she whispered.  
  
"We can't just let them take Fudge," he whispered back. "If they get him in the Imperial Curse, think of what they can do at the ministry." He said.  
  
Professor Livingston knew that what Harry had said had some truth to it. She just didn't think that they had any chance against three dark wizards.  
  
"Harry we can't. There is no way we can do anything about his right now." She said trying to make him see reason.  
  
"Stay here." He said.  
  
Harry crept out from under the cloak and looked back at it to make sure that she was well hidden behind him. He then stayed crouched down and slowly made his way up to the damaged doorway. He peeked around the door and saw that the two men were standing over Fudge and were searching his body probably for his wand or other things that might be dangerous to them. Harry also noticed that the door to the above quarters was opened and that was the obvious location of the third wizard. Harry felt his hand shaking, but closed his eyes for a split second and took a deep breath. What happened next, happened so fast, that Professor Livingston wasn't sure what it was.  
  
Harry burst into the room and had hit the two men with spells in a matter of seconds, and then was back outside of the doorway. He looked over to the direction of Professor Livingston and crawled back to her and got underneath the cloak.  
  
She could hear Harry breathing strangely and could feel the heat coming from his body.  
  
"What happened?" she whispered to him with a shaky voice.  
  
Harry didn't say anything. She was looking into his eyes and wasn't sure what to read from them. She also noticed that his breathing was suddenly back down to a level that was almost constant with a person that was sleeping. It was very slow and rhythmic. She saw Harry look at her and bring his hand up to his mouth to signal her to be quiet again.  
  
Harry then looked towards the doorway and watched as the third wizard crept out with his wand in front of him. He had obviously heard the commotion from the quarters above and had snuck down trying to find out who had attacked the others.  
  
The man looked around the room for a second, looking through Harry and Professor Livingston a few times, then walked to the staircase and slowly began to look down to see if anyone was down below the stairs. He had slid one foot on the step and was still looking intently down below when Harry slid his hand and wand out from behind the cloak.  
  
"Expelliarmus! Petrificus Totalus, Mobilicorpus, Accio. Harry had shouted all four very quickly and what happened was nothing less than spectacular.  
  
The Expelliarmus spell caused the man's wand to fly up in the air, as the man turned around the Petrificus Totalus spell caused him to seize up losing the use of his body, the Mobilicorpus spell then hit him and caused the him to fly across the room and slam into one of the stone pillars, and the accio spell made his wand that had flown out of his hand come flying directly into Harry's hand.  
  
It was all over within a few seconds, but the wand in Harry's hand, the bleeding man's head across the room, and the other two unconscious wizards, made Professor Livingston look at Harry as though she had no idea what to make of him.  
  
Harry stood up and walked into the office where Fudge and the other two Dark Wizards all laid unconscious. He turned around at Professor Livingston who had pulled the cloak off of her, but was still crouched down in the corner of the room.  
  
"We need to get Fudge out as well." Harry said. "We can't leave him here."  
  
"What's going on Harry?" Professor Livingston asked.  
  
"Death Eaters. They're trying to take over the castle and we have to get out before they do. The others are waiting for us."  
  
Harry looked around the room for an idea of a plan.  
  
He saw the large black cloaks that the unconscious wizards wore and then turned around to the Professor.  
  
"Do you think if I throw the invisibility cloak over Fudge, you can still guide him out with your wand?" he asked her.  
  
"What Harry? What for?" she said.  
  
"Listen, there will be more of them out there. They'll see us trying to carry Fudge out. You and I can put these black cloaks on and pull the hoods up. They'll be less likely to notice us. If we can throw the cloak on Fudge, we can get him out and they won't see him."  
  
"I understand Harry, Yes, I can do that." She said.  
  
"Okay let's go then. Professor, if they see us, run towards Hagrid's cabin down by the forest. The others are waiting there. Go to the back."  
  
Harry pulled the dark robes off of the two men. The smaller one of the two he threw to the Professor, the larger one was huge on Harry, but that didn't matter for what they had planned. Professor Livingston made Fudge hover in the air, then Harry threw the cloak over his body making him disappear before their eyes.  
  
"Okay follow me. Remember, if anyone is onto us, run and I'll hold them off. Hit anyone you see that you don't recognize with a stunning spell." Harry said.  
  
She nodded at him. Professor Livingston was terrified. She couldn't believe what was happening and she couldn't believe what she had just seen Harry do to the three Death Eaters.  
  
They slowly made their way down the stairs and but didn't see anyone. When they got close to the entrance they heard voices coming from the Great Hall, but nothing in the direction they were going.  
  
"Okay. Let's go outside, remember, just walk normally. They're bound to see us at some point so let's not give ourselves away if they do."  
  
The two of them walked outside the door of the castle and made their way outside. They had made it only twenty or so steps when someone yelled in their direction.  
  
"Hey, what are you two doing over there?" the voice asked.  
  
"Keep walking" Harry said to her quietly.  
  
"Hey you two! Where might you be going?"  
  
Harry turned around and made sure the hood of the cloak was pulled up over his face.  
  
"We saw something down by the Quidditch field. Think it might be the Potter boy." Harry said trying to imitate a deep gruff voice.  
  
"Well hurry back! We got our posts you know," the man said.  
  
Harry just stuck his hand up in the air and waived at the man to show he understood. They then kept walking, this time a bit faster, down to Hagrid's cabin.  
  
"That was close" Harry said softly.  
  
When they got close to the cabin, Harry pulled the hood of his cloak down and signaled Professor Livingston to follow him to the back of the cabin.  
  
When they got there, Harry knocked on the door.  
  
"Ron, open up. It's me."  
  
Harry heard the bolt of the door open, and saw Ron peek around it with his wand raised.  
  
"We're here Ron, we made it." Harry said.  
  
"Thank God Harry. We've been worried sick. What in hell took you so long? And why are you wearing those cloaks? We thought you were Death Eaters. Hermione and Meagan are hiding in Hagrid's closet." Ron asked.  
  
Harry and Professor Livingston walked into the cabin. Ron was about to shut the door when Professor Livingston stopped him.  
  
"We have company." She said as she pulled the cloak off of the floating, unconscious Fudge.  
  
"We ran into some Death Eaters Ron. They had already got to Fudge, but we got him out of there. Just a stunning spell I think, we can wake him up in a second."  
  
Hermione and Meagan heard Harry's voice and burst out of the closet.  
  
Meagan ran into her mom's arms and started crying.  
  
"Mom, I was so worried. I thought they had gotten you. I couldn't have dealt with that mom, I couldn't have dealt with losing you and dad both."  
  
"It's okay honey. You aren't going to lose me. Harry made sure we were okay," she said.  
  
Hermione already had her arms around Harry too and when she heard Professor Livingston say that. She looked up at Harry with tears in her eyes.  
  
"What happened Harry?" she asked.  
  
"Nothing, just took the cloak and got her like I said." Harry said looking at Professor Livingston who gave him a puzzled look.  
  
Hermione squeezed him hard again, then pulled away from him and wiped the tears out of her eyes. "What are we going to do now Harry?"  
  
"I don't know. We can't go through the forest it's too dangerous. Unless maybe we could find Firenze or Bane, but they would probably just confuse us anyway and we'd get lost and Bane wouldn't help me. If we could find the car we could fly that out, but we might never find it." Harry said obviously thinking out loud.  
  
"What about the passage way to the Shrieking Shack?" Ron said.  
  
"Harry said we couldn't go into Hogsmeade though." Hermione said.  
  
"Yeah, but if we could make our way to the cave we'd be home free." Ron added.  
  
"That's it Ron. It maybe risky, but I think if we can get to the cave we'll be fine." Harry said.  
  
"Professor, can you wake up Fudge? I'm going to find some parchment and get a letter to Sirius." Harry said.  
  
Harry searched through Hagrid's things until he found some parchment and a quill and ink and sat down in one of Hagrid's large chairs.  
  
Sirius,  
  
We made it out of the castle. It's me, Ron, Hermione, Meagan and her mother, Professor Livingston. When I went to get Meagan's mom, the Death Eaters already had attacked. Fudge was there and we got him out as well. We are heading to the place where you stayed last year where we brought you food. Please let Dumbledore and the others know we are safe.  
  
We'll wait there until I hear from you.  
  
Harry  
  
Harry then went outside and found Hedwig perched on the fence. She fluttered her wings to show she was happy to see him. He walked up to her and stroked her under her wing.  
  
"Thanks girl. Please get this to Sirius. Please find him." Harry said as he attached the message to her leg.  
  
Harry watched as she flew off out of site, and then went back in through the back door to Hagrid's cabin to find that Fudge had been revived and was asking questions.  
  
"What on Earth do you mean those were Death Eaters? How can you possibly know that?" Fudge was asking while rubbing his head.  
  
"They were, Mr. Fudge," Harry said as he walked into the room.  
  
"Harry!" Fudge said.  
  
"Mr. Fudge, the castle is under attack by Death Eaters. Voldemort sent them to kill me and put you under the Imperius Curse," Harry said plainly.  
  
Fudge looked outraged. "You're all mad. Dumbledore has brainwashed the lot of you."  
  
"Mr. Fudge! I assure you Harry is telling you the truth. After I left your office I heard the men talking. They were Death Eaters, and they were under orders." Professor Livingston said.  
  
Harry walked up to Fudge and looked him in the eye. Hermione and Ron could sense the power radiating from him, the same sort of power they had felt from Dumbledore only once before. Professor Livingston had felt this from Harry earlier when he had taken out the three Death Eaters.  
  
"Mr. Fudge, listen to me very carefully because I am only going to say this once.."  
  
Hermione and Ron couldn't believe that Harry was talking to the Minister of Magic this way.  
  
"Those men that attacked you were Death Eaters. They had come to kill me, and once they were done with you, they would have killed you as well. I don't think it would be a good idea, but if you want you can go back to the castle and tell them that they are mad and that Voldemort isn't back and then you can continue to be blind the entire time up until they torture you and kill you. My friends and I are leaving and are going to try to find Moody and Dumbledore so we can try and stop them. I would suggest that you come with us, and as soon as it's safe, we'll figure a way for you to get word to the Ministry so that they can begin to prepare for Voldemort's return. I can assure you he will find word that we have escaped and he will start looking for us. I'll tell you now sir, that if you make trouble for me and my friends, I will protect them." Harry said.  
  
Fudge looked dumbfounded. He couldn't believe that a fourteen year old wizard was talking to him that way. He couldn't believe that Voldemort was back, he didn't want to believe it. He also didn't want to take the chance that he could be wrong. He did know that someone had in fact attacked him, and that Harry had somehow rescued him.  
  
"Look Harry, I don't doubt that those are dark wizards, but I just can't believe they were Death Eaters. I am indebted to you for saving me, so right now I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. How many are up there?"  
  
"We don't know. There were three that attacked you. There were more in the Great Hall, and one that stopped us when we were leaving but he didn't know who we were, we were wearing the other's cloaks and got you out with the invisibility cloak. We are going to use a secret passage below the Whomping Willow to get to Hogsmeade, and then hide in a cave above the village until Sirius can reach us."  
  
"Sirius? You don't mean.." Fudge was interrupted by Hermione.  
  
"Sir, we'll explain on the way. We don't have time now," she said.  
  
"Okay, let's go. Hermione and me will go first. I'll use the cloak to get to the tree and open the passage. When I signal, Meagan, you and your mom come next. Ron, when you see them get clear, you and Mr. Fudge follow. Everyone, if you're seen, just try to make it to the passage. Once we're in, the tree will protect the passage. I doubt they know how to stop it from thrashing." Harry said.  
  
Harry looked at all of them staring back at him listening intently. It had just dawned on him that he was barking out orders and making plans to try to save their lives. But it was the fact that he was doing this with a Professor and the Minister of Magic listening to him for guidance, and as a leader of sorts. He tried to put these thoughts away, but then the events that happened in the Headmaster's office came to mind. He honestly didn't really know what all had happened, but he did know that everything he had done, the spells, the movements, the thinking, it all came to him so naturally. It was almost as though some sort of defense mechanism had been taught to him that day in the Pensieve.  
  
"Okay Hermione, let's go. Get the cloak." He said.  
  
They both then began to run across the field towards the tree. The others went to the front of the cabin and watched them both through the window.  
  
"How did Harry stop all three of those wizards?" Fudge asked Professor Livingston.  
  
"I'm not sure Mr. Fudge. I mean, I watched it, but I'm still not sure. The first two, I don't really know, he used spells I had never heard before. The third one, he used four small spells, but used them quicker than I have ever seen anyone throw spells. They were one right after the other. They all hit the man, and within seconds, he was disabled and Harry had the man's wand in his hand."  
  
Fudge had a look of disbelief in his eyes as he watched Harry reach the base of the tree and disappear under the cloak. The next thing he saw was Hermione look back at them and wave for them to come, and then disappear down the passage.  
  
"Let's go sweetheart." Professor Livingston said to Meagan.  
  
Meagan gave Ron a hug when she passed him. "Be careful Ron."  
  
Ron then let go of her, and went back to watch them out of the window. When they were close to the passage he turned to Fudge and signaled that they go. Fudge was the first one out of the back door, but was intercepted by a man in a black cloak; it was one of the death eaters.  
  
He had Fudge around the neck with one hand, and with the other, he had a wand pointing at Ron. Ron had his wand pointing back at him almost instinctively.  
  
"Put the wand down laddie. You don't want me to kill your Dad here now do ya?" the man said as he tightened the grip on Fudge's neck causing him to choke very audibly.  
  
Ron didn't know what to do. But he did know that if he put his wand down, he would be helpless.  
  
"Let him go!" Ron said trying to look for a good aim to throw a curse at the man. But he couldn't find one. All that was visible was the man's head, which was just a few inches away from Fudge's.  
  
Ron suddenly got an idea and felt the courage build up in him. "You put your wand down," Ron said, "Or my friend Harry Potter, who is right behind you, will make you."  
  
The man's eyes got wide, and his grip loosened a bit on Fudge. The Minister felt this and just when the man made a quick turn to look behind him to see if Harry was really there, Fudge pushed off of him causing a brief period of separation between them. Ron was ready for it, and hit the man in the chest with a spell.  
  
Fudge rubbed his neck and coughed. His face was horribly red from the man's tight grip, but he gave Ron a smile and picked up his and the man's wand from the floor.  
  
"Let's go Mr. Weasley. Thanks for that by the way. You're dad will be proud of you no doubt." Fudge said.  
  
As they were walking out Ron leaned down and rolled up the sleeve on the unconscious man showing the Dark Mark tattoo on his arm. Fudge turned around to see what Ron was doing, and gasped when he saw the tattoo..  
  
"Still think Dumbledore and Harry are mad?" Ron said as he stood up and brushed past Fudge.  
  
It wasn't long before they were all safe in the passage. Harry hit the knothole and slid into the passage as the door closed behind him. Now all they needed to do was make it to the cave. 


	22. Introductions

Chapter 22 - Introductions  
  
Harry lit his wand and took the lead through the cave. It was a long walk, and they weren't sure if there would be anyone waiting for them at the other end. Harry suggested that he and Hermione take the lead again, and the others stagger behind them a bit. His thinking was that if there was some sort of trap, at least they all wouldn't be trapped at the same time, and possibly the ones behind could turn back around, or come forward and help them, depending on the situation. Everyone seemed to agree with him; he had in fact gotten them this far.  
  
Harry and Hermione went ahead, and when they were out of sight, Meagan and her mom paced behind them, followed by Ron and Fudge.  
  
"Harry, you've been really unbelievable today." Hermione said.  
  
"What do you mean?" Harry asked.  
  
"I mean the things you did today. Professor Livingston said that you stopped three Death Eaters all by yourself. How did you do it?"  
  
"Hermione, I'm not sure. It's strange, it's like I knew exactly what to do somehow. Hermione, there are things in my head, things I don't understand." He said.  
  
"Like what?" she asked.  
  
"I mean, I know hundreds of spells Hermione. They're in my head. Some of them, I didn't think I knew what they did, but today, when I went into Dumbledore's office, it was like everything slowed down. I knew exactly what spell to use, I don't even remember what I used now. I really couldn't tell you. It was like an instinct. I looked at the first wizard and I somehow felt that he should be the one I should hit second, because for some reason, I knew he was probably slower than the other one. I knew that after I hit the first one, that the second would probably try to block whatever spell I threw at him. So I hesitated just a bit before I threw a spell at him. It confused him because he was expecting me to throw something at him immediately and when I didn't he was wide open. How can I know all these things Hermione?"  
  
"Harry, its obvious isn't it? The knowledge you have been given Harry, the power; you're starting to learn how to use it," she said.  
  
"But I wish it was just clearer. What happens if someone jumps out at us when we get to the Shrieking Shack and I freeze up? What if I can't remember these things next time and I just sit there and let them kill us?" he asked.  
  
"Harry, you won't. For some reason I think that the only way you are going to really learn is by experience. Remember the dreams you were having? The ones you told me about? In most of them, you were fighting dark wizards weren't you?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess. I mean I wasn't really fighting, but I had either just finished or was about to start."  
  
"See Harry? That's how you, I mean, that's how Godric, or whoever's memory you had, learned their skills. Harry we learn by experience. Look at me, all the things I learn in books, they just get me good grades now, but when we are done with school, I'll probably have a chance to use it all. Ever since our first year Harry, the things we have done together, I am way ahead of a lot of seventh year students, just because of the things you and me and Ron have done. You know how small some of the problems I have now seem when I look at what we have been through..and what you still go thorough."  
  
Harry didn't say anything. He knew she was right. Godric had told Harry that the power had always lived in him. He told him that he should spend some time with himself and learn his limits. That statement was beginning to make some sense. Harry couldn't expect to be as powerful as Dumbledore overnight and there was a chance that he may never become that powerful. There was also a chance, however, that he may become more powerful than even Dumbledore in the end. He had to learn his limits. He had to test them. He had to rely on his friends for strength as he always had, and he had to make sure that he used his strengths to protect them.  
  
"Hermione, let's not talk anymore. Let's keep an ear out for anyone in here waiting for us. If someone is there, get behind me and run and warn the others," he said.  
  
Hermione grabbed his hand and brought it up to her face and kissed it.  
  
"What was that for?" Harry asked smiling.  
  
"For keeping me safe," she said whispering.  
  
Ron and Fudge were trailing behind the others. Fudge was in front of Ron and the two hadn't said a word to one another so far. Ron kept looking at him and then would shake his head with contempt. This was the guy that hadn't given his dad a promotion all these years. This was the guy that sacked Dumbledore. This was the guy that had catered to Lucius Malfoy. This was the guy who thought his best friend was mentally disturbed. But this guy was also the Minister of Magic. Ron imagined in his head how funny it would be if he knocked him out with a stunning spell and left him in the Shrieking Shack and put a dress on him. He imagined how great it would be to call the Daily Prophet and have one of the reporters go in there and find him and get pictures. He had a few little funny ideas like this.  
  
It was Fudge that finally broke the silence however.  
  
"So Mr. Weasley, that was some quick thinking back there. You got a good head on your shoulders." Fudge said.  
  
"Thank you sir. Can you call me Ron? Mr. Weasley makes me think you're talking to my dad," he said.  
  
"No problem at all Ron." Fudge said laughing. "So where exactly does this path lead again?"  
  
"Hogsmeade, to the Shrieking Shack." Ron said.  
  
"Well.. that place his haunted! Surely you're kidding?"  
  
"No sir, I'm not kidding. And I promise you it isn't haunted. It's just one of the villager's tales. I've been in there before."  
  
"Really? Well I must say Ron you are surely braver that most wizards I know."  
  
"Thank you sir. But it's really because of Harry that I got this way."  
  
"Harry? What do you mean?"  
  
"Well sir. There is always someone trying to kill him, and it's usually Voldemort."  
  
"Would you please quit saying his name! Honestly. How can all of you know possibly know that he is back?" Fudge asked.  
  
"Sir, like we've all told you, Voldemort never really died, he was just really weak the whole time. First he tried to return using the Sorcerer's Stone, but that failed when Harry and Dumbledore stopped him. Then Lucius Malfoy slipped my sister one of Tom Riddle's old diaries and tried to use dark magic to bring him back. Then Peter Pettigrew finally succeeded last summer when he and Barty Crouch put Harry's name in the goblet and then turned the cup into a portkey that sent Harry and Cedric Diggory to a place where Voldemort was waiting. Pettigrew used some old dark magic to bring him back to life. He used a knife and cut Harry's arm and got some of his blood. The spell brought Voldemort back to full strength according to Harry. Harry said that when he came back the Death Eaters tattoos all glowed and they then apparated to him."  
  
Fudge's heart rate had suddenly increased to twice its normal rate. He couldn't believe that he was hearing this. The story was coming out of this boy's mouth just like it was some sort of casual story about his day at school. Ron continued.  
  
"Voldemort gave Harry his wand back and told the Death Eaters he was going to let them watch him kill Harry. He dueled with Harry and toyed with him for a bit. He even hit him with the Cruciatus Curse a couple of times."  
  
"He did what?" Fudge said outraged.  
  
"Yes sir, you heard me. But Harry got away. Something happened with their wands and it gave Harry a chance to get away. That's when you saw him come back that night with Cedric. That's when that happened." Ron said.  
  
Fudge didn't say anything. He had to take it all in. How could these kids have been through so much? If this was all true he would go down in history as the blindest Minister of Magic ever. He still had huge doubts as to the validity of the story. They were after all, just kids and kids had a habit of blowing things out of proportion. Fudge decided to change the subject.  
  
"Son I'd say that you and your friends just might be in line for the Order of Merlin. No one has ever saved my life before so I'm not sure what that will merit, maybe second class," he said.  
  
Ron shook his head at this. Some wizards would kill to have that award, but right now he was just interested in surviving.  
  
"Mr. Fudge, can I ask you something?" Ron said.  
  
"Sure you can."  
  
"When we get to an owl, are you going to send word to the Ministry that Voldemort is back?" Ron asked.  
  
"Ron, I don't think I can do that. There is evidence that the Death Eaters are causing trouble again, but right now I can't start wide-spread panic on the hunches of some kids and Dumbledore, who I can't say has all of his wits these days." Fudge said.  
  
"Look here, you thick-headed.." Ron stopped himself from saying something really bad. "I don't care if you are my dad's boss and the Minister of Magic, you don't talk about Professor Dumbledore that way. He's twice the wizard you'll ever be. I don't know what it's going to take for you to realize that Voldemort is back. I can tell you that you would have known right away if Harry hadn't saved you today, I promise you that."  
  
"Now you look here" Fudge said, "You don't talk to me that way. You have no idea what it takes to do my job. You have no idea what would happen if I went to the Ministry and told them that Voldemort was back. They'd..well...they'd probably throw me right out of there! So you just watch your tongue. There is only so much slack that saving me back there will get you."  
  
"That's fine. That's just fine. I don't care. You're going to find out for yourself real soon. You're going to feel like the biggest ass in the world when you find out the truth. It's just lucky that Dumbledore has been doing your job for you these last few months. It's good that some wizards don't care if they put their job in danger to do the right thing." Ron said.  
  
Fudge didn't say anything. The kid was just confused that's all. He's just like his dad, just has his head all mixed up that's all. They'll catch these Death-Eaters and these people will all be the ones that feel stupid.  
Harry and Hermione reached the door to the shack. When they got there Harry motioned Hermione to stand back while he opened it.  
  
Harry carefully went inside, but didn't see anyone. He checked the small shack over until he was absolutely sure that it was empty before he went back and let Hermione know it was okay to come in. Harry then went in and sat down on the bed to wait for the others. Hermione sat next to him.  
  
"What now?" she asked.  
  
"I guess we'll figure out a way to get outside then head for the cave." Harry said.  
  
Hermione grabbed his hand again and smiled and pulled him into a hug. "I think we are going to be okay Harry. I think you did it. You got us out."  
  
"Hermione we aren't done yet. But you're right, if we can get outside the village, we'll be a lot safer. I was thinking..you and Ron need to take Meagan and her mother and you guys can catch your train. Meagan and her mom can stay here in Hogsmeade until this all clears up. The Death Eaters aren't looking for you all, just Fudge and me." Harry said.  
  
"I can't leave you Harry. Ron and the others can go, but I'm not leaving you. Not anymore. This morning I made myself say that you were right. I made myself say that leaving was for the best, but not anymore," her voice began to crack.  
  
"Hermione, you have to."  
  
"Harry no! I won't do it."  
  
"Hermione, listen to me."  
  
"No!"  
  
Harry grabbed both of her hands and then waited until she looked him in the eye.  
  
"Hermione, listen to me please. I love you," he said softly.  
  
"What?" she asked.  
  
"I love you Hermione."  
  
Her bottom lip started to tremble after he said it the second time and tears started to well up in her eyes.  
  
"Hermione, you mean so much to me. I really mean it when I tell you that I could have never made it this far without you. I'd be dead, really. So you have to understand that I couldn't go on living if something happened to you."  
  
Hermione had a single tear fall from her eye. "Harry, please don't ask me to leave you."  
  
"Hermione, if it were me, if you were in my shoes, would you want me to come? Would you risk putting me into danger if I didn't need to be?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Then, will you please do something for me?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Can you stay here in Hogsmeade tonight, and then tomorrow, if we don't have anything figured out, we'll need some food and supplies and you can bring them to us. Can you do that?"  
  
"Yes, of course." Hermione said letting go of his hand and wiping her eyes.  
  
"Thank you." Harry said and then leaned in and kissed her.  
  
Hermione closed her eyes and absorbed that kiss like she had been underwater for five minutes and it was a breath of fresh air. After the kiss was over she kept her eyes closed and only opened them when she heard the door to the passage way open.  
  
Harry walked over and let them know it was okay to come inside.  
  
Fudge and Ron followed shortly and then Harry told them of the plan.  
  
"I'm not leaving you up there alone Harry." Ron said.  
  
"Listen Ron, you need to get home and find your dad. You have to tell him what's happened. He'll probably be able to get hold of Dumbledore." Harry said.  
  
"Okay Harry, but we're coming directly back for you." Ron said.  
  
Harry nodded at him.  
  
It was decided that Hermione, Megan and Professor Livingston were going to get a room in Hogsmeade and lay low until the next morning when Hermione would bring some food to the cave. Harry then pulled out his wand and uttered a spell causing the boards blocking the door, to neatly fly off giving them access to the outside world. Hermione and Ron walked out first and saw that no one was around, and then signaled for the others to follow them out.  
  
When they were outside, they split up and went their separate ways. Harry and Fudge walked towards the cave, and the others went to the inn.  
  
All of the walking was taking its toll on Fudge. Several times they had to stop and let him rest.  
  
It was taking its toll on Harry as well. They had walked miles and the path to the mountain cave wasn't just a walk, but a hike. They sat down in the shade of a tree to rest.  
  
"Harry, Ron told me that you've seen You-Know-Who." Fudge asked.  
  
"Yes, I have. Dumbledore already told you remember?" Harry said.  
  
"Ahh, so he did." Fudge said. "So the story hasn't changed any?"  
  
"Story? What do you mean story? You think we're all making this up? Do you think we are blowing this all out of proportion?" Harry stood up and faced him.  
  
"You do don't you? You think that a bunch of kids and an old wizard are exaggerating what we've seen. You think that Dumbledore is just out to cause trouble in his old age don't you?"  
  
"Harry, you don't understand. I just think that you all may be jumping."  
  
"I do understand sir. I understand more than you know. It's okay though. You are going to find out soon enough. I have a feeling that before this little adventure we are having is through, you'll get the proper picture." Harry turned and started walking up the path.  
  
Fudge didn't respond. He took his handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped his brow, then got up and continued walking up the path.  
  
After another short break to rest, they had reached the entrance to the cave. When they got close, Harry help up his hand to stop Fudge from walking. He could hear noises coming from inside, strange noises that sounded like chains.  
  
He crept up to the cave and peeked inside. He saw a man lying on the floor of the cave bound by ropes and chains. He pulled his wand out and then turned and signaled to Fudge to come to him.  
  
"What is it Harry? Is there someone there?" Fudge whispered.  
  
"Do you still have that Death Eater's wand?" Harry asked.  
  
"Yes, its here." He said handing the wand to Harry.  
  
Harry took the wand in his hand and whispered "Lumos." He then leaned in and threw the wand as far back in the cave as he could and watched as the cave lit up.  
  
Harry didn't see anyone else there, and the man stopped struggling against his chains when he saw the wand thrown past him.  
  
"It doesn't look like anyone else is there." Harry said.  
  
Harry walked into the cave and was followed by Fudge. They both walked towards the man that was bound on the floor of the cave.  
  
"Who in God's name is this?" Fudge asked.  
  
"This sir, is Peter Pettigrew." Harry said smiling. 


	23. The Plan

Chapter 23 - The Plan  
  
Harry walked over and picked up the wand that he had thrown into the cave, made the light go out and put it in his pocket.  
  
"This can't be Peter Pettigrew," Fudge said, "He was killed by Sirius Black."  
  
"I haven't killed him yet, but if you stick around, you might be proven true," said a voice from behind them.  
  
"Sirius!" Harry said.  
  
Harry bumped into Fudge as he ran towards Sirius and gave him a big hug.  
  
"You look terrible." Harry said looking up at him.  
  
"I feel terrible thanks." Sirius said smiling.  
  
"You! You.. You just hold it right there." Fudge said.  
  
"Don't worry I grabbed his wand out of his pocket when I ran by him." Harry whispered.  
  
"Well well, if it isn't Cornelius Fudge the Minister of Magic himself." Sirius said.  
  
"Harry, get away from him. Don't you know who he is?" Fudge said while searching frantically for his wand.  
  
"If you're looking for your wand sir, I've got it right here," Harry said holding up the Minister's wand.  
  
"What is this? You are mad!" Fudge said to Harry.  
  
"I'm hardly the one who's mad sir. Why don't you look closely at the person shackled down there. You'll see that it is in fact Peter Pettigrew, and if you look closer, you'll see the Dark Mark on his arm as well." Harry said.  
  
Fudge slowly crept over to Wormtail and looked at him closely he kept glancing up at Sirius as though he was waiting to be pranced on. He then pulled the sleeve of Wormtail's robe up and saw the tattoo.  
  
"What's going on here?" Fudge asked when he saw the Dark Mark tattoo.  
  
"Sir, it's what we've been trying to tell you. He faked his own death. Sirius was innocent. Peter laid low until he found Voldemort and then brought him back to power." Harry said.  
  
"Harry, I'm glad you made it out okay," Sirius said, practically ignoring Fudge. "I was worried until I got your letter; I was already on my way here when Hedwig found me. I used her to send a letter to Dumbledore."  
  
Fudge just stood there and tried to make sense of it all. His face kept screwing up with frowns, and then it would go blank, and then frown again.  
  
Harry walked past him and reached down and un-tied the ropes around Wormtail's mouth.  
  
"Hello Wormtail." Harry said not sounding very friendly. "It's really nice to see you again."  
  
"Harry! Thank god you're here. You have to tell Sirius, you have to tell him how I couldn't get away from the Dark Lord. You have to tell him how he controls me Harry," Wormtail said.  
  
"Shut your mouth Peter. You don't know how close I am to ending you?" Sirius said sharply.  
  
"Minister sir, please. I don't know what's going on sir. They captured me sir. He won't let me go, he keeps torturing me, using unforgivables sir." Wormtail said to Fudge.  
  
Harry reached into his cloak and pulled out the letter that Sirius had written him earlier that morning and handed it to Fudge.  
  
"Sirius was the reason I knew about the attack sir. If it weren't for him warning me, we would have never made it out of there." Harry said.  
  
Fudge looked at the letter and then back down at Wormtail.  
  
Sirius then walked over to Fudge. "Mr. Fudge, sit down over there, there are some things I would like on record."  
  
Fudge was too confused and scared to say anything; he just walked over to the side of the cave and sat down on the large rock that Sirius had pointed to.  
  
Sirius pulled out his wand and pointed it at Peter, causing him to start shaking.  
  
"Okay Peter, if you want to live, if you want to survive this, you are going to start talking. You are going to start from the beginning, how you gave away the Potters, how you faked your death, when I found you at Hogwarts, when you escaped, how you found Voldemort, when you brought Voldemort back, all the way to what you told me last night. And we'll play the game we played last night, if you stop, if you leave anything out, of you stall, I'll hurt you bad Peter. Now, please begin." Sirius said.  
  
And begin he did.  
  
He talked, and didn't leave out a single detail. Fudge sat in horror as he talked about blowing up the Muggles all those years ago, and framed Sirius, how he cut off his finger, how he was the Weasley's rat and hid out all those years. How he escaped and found Voldemort. How he found Bertha Jorkins, and brought her to Voldemort. How they planned the events of the Tri-Wizard Tournament.  
  
When he began to describe what happened after Harry and Cedric appeared after grabbing the cup, Harry had to get up and walk outside of the cave. He didn't want to hear it again. After a few minutes Harry walked back in and heard him talking about his meeting with the Death Eaters, and their plan to take over the castle and to put Fudge under the Imperious Curse so that they could control the Ministry.  
  
After he finished with this, Fudge got up with look on his face that was nothing short of sheer anger.  
  
Harry and Sirius both could see this and a smile almost crept across both of their faces.  
  
"Harry, go ahead and give the Minister back his wand. I think he has finally seen the truth." Sirius said.  
  
Harry reached into his robe and pulled it out. He then walked over to Fudge and handed him the wand.  
  
Fudge took it from Harry, but never took his eyes off of Wormtail. It was obvious that everything he had just heard needed time to process. Harry for a second thought Fudge might blast him with his wand right there.  
  
The silence was broken by Wormtail.  
  
"Please Mr. Minister sir, please don't let them kill me. Voldemort had control of me sir, there was nothing I could do sir."  
  
Sirius gave his wand a flick and the ropes went back over Wormtail's mouth.  
  
Fudge turned around and walked blindly towards the entrance to the cave, tapping his wand against the side of his face.  
  
"This changes everything," he said silently.  
  
"This changes everything." He said again a bit louder.  
  
Harry and Sirius could tell that he was on the verge of panic.  
  
"Mr. Fudge, sir, we don't have a lot of time," Sirius said. "What we need to do is meet with Dumbledore and make a plan to take back the castle. If you can get word to the Ministry and gain us the aid of the Aurors, we should have no problems getting the school back." Sirius said.  
  
"What? Yes, we have to get word." Fudge said almost at a whisper.  
  
"Sir?" Harry said, "Also, if you can sir, you need to write a pardon for Sirius, we can't afford him to be attacked by anyone at the Ministry sir. They have to know the truth."  
  
"Oh, yes of course." Fudge said again.  
  
Harry and Sirius looked at each other. They could tell that Fudge was on the verge of collapse. He needed some rest and possibly some food and water.  
  
"We need supplies Harry until we can connect with Dumbledore. Are Ron and Hermione in the village?" Sirius asked.  
  
"No, well Hermione is. Ron went home to tell his dad what's happened. Hermione and the others are at the inn."  
  
"Good, I can change to Padfoot and go find her. She can get us some food and water up here. We'll be staying here tonight." Sirius said. "It's not safe for any of us out there until we have a plan."  
  
Harry couldn't argue.  
  
Sirius was out of the cave towards the village as Padfoot after that and Harry walked over and sat down next to Fudge.  
  
"I told you sir. I know it's a lot to take in, but hopefully now you see what's been going on." Harry said.  
  
Fudge was staring at the ground. He looked up at nothing in particular and spoke.  
  
"I'm finished. I sat around and let all of this happen, and now I'm finished."  
  
"How can you say that sir?" Harry said.  
  
"Harry, there was an innocent man in Azkaban for twelve years, and the man who framed him for it was responsible for bringing back the Dark Lord. People will say that I sat around and let this all happen," he said.  
  
"Well sir, you did." Harry said bluntly. "But that doesn't mean that it's too late for you to do something about it. We can stop them sir. Now that we have the backing of you and the Ministry, we can stop them."  
  
Fudge didn't look as confident as Harry thought he should be. He just sat and stared at the cave wall.  
  
It was beginning to get dark when Sirius finally returned. He had Hermione with him who was levitating a large basket which Harry could only guess was food. Sirius was carrying a smaller box that seemed to have drinks and some parchment and other things.  
  
Harry got up immediately and gave Hermione a hug after she sat the basket down. Sirius saw this and smiled at the two of them. Sirius went over to the basket and got out some bread, meat and different containers of food items and then picked up the basket and sat it down by Fudge.  
  
Fudge looked up at him quickly, still obviously having a hard time seeing Sirius and not wanting to run in fright. He overcame this brief instinct however and thanked him, then dug into the basket to get some dinner.  
  
Harry, Hermione and Fudge were eating, while Sirius kept keeping a close eye on Wormtail.  
  
"Aren't you eating Sirius?" Harry asked.  
  
"Already did," he said smiling, "I was so hungry I decided to lighten Hermione's load on the hike up here."  
  
Hermione smiled at him.  
  
"Harry, Sirius got some parchment so that Mr. Fudge can write his pardon." Hermione said proudly looking at Fudge.  
  
Fudge looked up from his piece of chicken and the three of them, and then kept eating.  
  
"You will write it Mr. Fudge?" Harry asked.  
  
"Yes, Of course I will," he said quickly.  
  
Harry couldn't wipe the smile off of his face when he heard this. His Godfather was finally going to be free. He would have a place to stay away from the Dursley's after all.  
  
Hermione knew Harry was thinking about that and she shared his smile.  
  
"Shouldn't we give Wormtail something to drink at least?" Hermione asked them.  
  
"Let him dry up." Sirius said quickly.  
  
"Let's give him some water. I'm sure he'll have to testify to the Ministry at some point, we should probably keep him alive." Harry said standing up.  
  
Harry picked up a small goblet and filled it with water then walked over to where Wormtail laid.  
  
He pulled his ropes away from his mouth and then pulled on one of the ropes around his chest causing him to sit up partially.  
  
"Hurry up and drink this." Harry said.  
  
Wormtail was obviously very parched, and gulped the water down in three swallows.  
  
"Thank you. Thank you, Harry. You are kind Harry. Kind indeed," He said.  
  
"Shut up," Harry said pulling the roped back over his mouth. He then quickly let go of the rope he was holding on to which caused Wormtail to land hard against he ground with a thud.  
  
Harry sat back down by Hermione and the two started talking about whether or not Ron had made it home safely, and whether or not he would be sending them an owl soon.  
  
Fudge seemed less frightened of Sirius now, and had asked him about the night Harry's parents were killed and the events that happened after that.  
  
Sirius seemed a bit reluctant to go into details with Harry there, but it wasn't until Harry told him it wouldn't bother him, did he begin to talk about it.  
  
Sirius told him about their plan to change the secret keeper to Peter, and he told him how they suspected Lupin as the trader at first. He went on further and gave details that even Harry had not heard yet.  
  
Hermione grabbed Harry's hand when he heard Sirius' voice crack when he began to talk about going to the Potter's house in Godric's Hollow and seeing Harry's parents dead and finding Hagrid holding Harry. He described how he was frantic after seeing the large cut on Harry's forehead and how he screamed at Hagrid to give him Harry. He said he finally realized he wasn't going to convince him so he gave Hagrid his motorcycle and then went off looking for Peter.  
  
The story went on for some time and Fudge looked as though he was a man that was finally figuring out the answers to questions that had eluded him for many years. And this was true. The fact was that they were all so happy about Voldemort being gone, and so outraged about the Potter's murders, that they simply failed to fill in many of the gaps that a true investigation would have uncovered. Fudge ended up telling Sirius that he blamed himself for allowing Crouch to throw him in Azkaban without a trial, and that he didn't blame him if he did everything in his power to make sure he was out of office.  
  
Harry and Hermione waited anxiously to see how Sirius handled this remark.  
  
"Mr. Fudge, you can make up for these mistakes by setting all of the wrongs right. You can pardon me and put Peter on trial for the murders and conspiracies that he has committed. You can get Dumbledore back in control of Hogwarts and give him and Moody the full resources that they need to fight this battle. You can arrest all of the people that Harry and Peter have already named as being Death Eaters, no matter of their social status. It's not too late to do the right thing Minister."  
  
Fudge seemed a bit reassured by these remarks. It finally sank in that he might, in fact, lose his job in the long run, but it was far too late to worry about that now. He felt compelled to do the right thing. He had been elected to his position for a reason after all. There was a time when he was considered as one of the wisest wizards of his time. It was time for him to live up to his position. The kids had been right. Dumbledore did what was right despite risking his job and creditability in the process. He had to do the same thing.  
  
Hermione lit one of her famous blue flames that warmed the cave to just the right temperature. Both Sirius and Fudge were very impressed with how quick and efficient she was in creating it. It had no smoke, no fumes at all, and it felt as though a warm blanket had formed around all of them. Fudge complemented her, but Hermione was very humble and said that her wand was the reason for the quality of the flames. Harry and Sirius knew better.  
  
They didn't have much in terms of blankets and pillows to sleep on. Somehow Hermione and Sirius hadn't thought of the possibility that they might in fact be sleeping there. Sirius didn't seem to mind. He had been so used to getting almost no sleep and sleeping on and in almost anything through the years, that he had no trouble just lying flat on the rock floor of the cave. Mr. Fudge was so comfortable with the flame Hermione created, that he pulled his cloak off and used it as a pillow under his head.  
  
Harry and Hermione had only the blanket from the basket that they had used to bring the food in, but it was very small and wouldn't cover either one of them. Harry sat upright with his back against the cave wall and put the blanket behind his head. Hermione lay in front of Harry sitting between his legs with the back of her head resting on his chest. It wasn't very comfortable for either one of them but just being together made up for some of that.  
  
Harry would have normally been very reserved laying there with her in front of the Minister of Magic, and his Godfather, but for some reason he wasn't. He didn't even think about how it looked to them. He was too happy with just being there with her and Sirius. No one really talked much; they all just tried to get some sleep while listening to the hard breathing of Wormtail and the crackling of the magical fire. Harry put his arms around Hermione and made sure she was warm enough. They also held on to each other's hands for most of the night. Hermione felt safe with him and Harry somehow felt relaxed when she was there. They both got some sleep.  
  
The next morning Harry and Hermione were awakened by Sirius. He made sure they were up and had already made them tea while they stretched out their stiff backs. Harry helped Hermione up and smiled at her when her back made a popping sound as she stood up.  
  
"Sorry about that. I guess I don't make a very comfortable bed," He said smiling.  
  
"It wasn't that bad," she said smiling back at him.  
  
Harry tried to hide his blushing as he got up and began to stretch. While he and Hermione started drinking their tea, they heard voices outside of the cave. There were obviously new people outside.  
  
Harry walked out and saw Fudge, Moody, Arthur Weasley, and three other men who Harry guessed to be Aurors. Ron's dad came over to him immediately and ruffled his hair and patted him on the back. Hermione walked out behind Harry.  
  
"Harry! Good to see you're okay. Molly and me have been worried sick about you and Hermione all night. I had to wait for an owl from Dumbledore before we could get up here. When Ron told me what happened at the castle, oh my goodness, it's a wonder you lot weren't hurt or killed. You boys were quite amazing according to Mr. Fudge," he said.  
  
"We just did what we had to sir, got lucky really," Harry said.  
  
Hermione and Mr. Weasley looked at each other for a second. "That's not what I heard Harry, I heard you took out three of them by yourself."  
  
"Yes sir, well they weren't too bright the ones I saw. Sort of slow." Harry said.  
  
"Humble.. Humble.. starting to sound like Dumbledore," Arthur said.  
  
"So what's going on?" Harry asked him trying to change the subject.  
  
"Well, Rooney, the big fella over there by Alastor, is going to stay here with you and Hermione for a bit. We decided we don't want you two down in Hogsmeade just yet. We would leave you here alone, but they don't want to move Pettigrew yet either, so Rooney will make sure nothing happens. It might not be safe yet, and this place seems as good as any. Don't think anyone knows about this place. Mr. Fudge is going to apparate to the Ministry and get started on Dumbledore's suggestions of actions to take against Voldemort. After he writes up Sirius' official pardoning papers, he's going to get a group of wizards to Azkaban and get rid of the Dementors. We don't want that lot getting out."  
  
"What about the castle?" Harry asked.  
  
"Moody and the other two fellas, that's Hurst on his right and Jax behind him, they are Generals for the Aurors. Each of them has command of a team of around ten Unspeakables. I didn't tell you that of course, but Moody has your map. It doesn't have to be in the castle for it to work evidentially, so they can see exactly how many Death Eaters are in there, what their names are, and exactly where they are and how their moving," he said.  
  
He then crept down and pulled Harry and Hermione a bit closer to him as to be more secretive. "If it were my guess, I'd say with the use of that map, it will take them around half an hour or less to have the castle cleared."  
  
Harry turned to Hermione and smiled. For the first time in a while, Harry felt like their luck may be changing.  
  
"Is Ron doing okay sir?" Harry asked.  
  
"Yeah, he's doing fine. He didn't sleep a wink last night. He was all worked up about fighting that Death Eater. He wanted to come back here so badly. I almost had Molly put a sleeping draught in his tea this morning just to calm him down. He was so worried about you two. I told him to just get some rest and pretty soon the castle would be cleared out and he could come and find you."  
  
Moody limped over to Harry with a smile that looked as though it was very painful to maintain.  
  
"Potter," Moody said, "heard about what you did yesterday. Heard ya took out three of them single-handed."  
  
"Yes sir." Harry said.  
  
"That'll get around between 'em Potter. They'll think twice next time when they see ya comin'. They tried that with me when I was first out of school. It only takes one time. From then on you know the ones that face ya, that really face ya, are the good ones," he said, but this time the smile left his face.  
  
"That doesn't sound like a good thing," Harry said.  
  
"It is a good thing Potter, it just means you'll probably have to fight less of them, but the ones you do have, will be the most dangerous ones. It'll make you stronger boy, don't let it eat at ya, it's just the way it is now," he said as he turned around and hobbled back off.  
  
"We all set?" Moody yelled at the others.  
  
"Looks that way," Hurst said.  
  
"I got the Shack entrance, Hurst has the Honeydukes entrance, Moody's coming in from the forest, and Dumbledore and his group are coming right in through the front." Jax said.  
  
Mr. Fudge and Arthur Weasley both nodded at him.  
  
"Make sure everyone stays in contact, Moody you have to make sure the positioning stays accurate with the map. We need to know about any of the changes in their patrols immediately." Hurst said.  
  
"Sounds like a devastating plan. They won't know what hit them," Fudge said smiling. 


	24. The Unspeakables

Chapter 24 - The Unspeakables  
  
Harry and Hermione watched as Moody and the others huddled quietly and made some last minute plans dealing with their attack. After tying up some loose ends they one by one apparated, until it was only Ron's dad, Mr. Fudge, Wormtail and Rooney left there with them.  
  
Harry watched as Fudge and Arthur Weasley shook hands, then he saw the Minister disappear with a pop. Mr. Weasley came over to the both of them to say goodbye.  
  
"You two just try to relax. These guys know what they're doing," he said as he put his arm around Hermione and shook Harry's hand.  
  
"You all be careful too," Harry said.  
  
"We will be Harry. We've had to do these types of things before. The Aurors and Unspeakables will be doing most of the dangerous work. We will just be staying at the main entrance with Dumbledore to stop any that might try to escape. Once they start losing, and figure out they can't apparate out of there, they'll come running blindly towards us to try to get away, it won't be too dangerous, not for us anyway," Mr. Weasley said.  
  
"If you see Lucius there sir, don't hesitate." Harry said swiftly.  
  
It took a short while before Mr. Weasley knew what Harry had meant by that. He had never really heard Harry ever talk ill of anyone, or suggest anything bad happen to someone, but he could tell that Harry was far from kidding, and he knew exactly what he had meant by it.  
  
He didn't respond to Harry, just nodded his head at him, said goodbye to the both and then stood back and disappeared.  
  
It took Hermione a bit longer to really get the meaning of what Harry had meant by 'don't hesitate', but when she did, it surprised her to hear Harry talk this way. As merciful as he had been, even with Wormtail when he first discovered that he had been the reason for his parent's deaths, made her surprised that he obviously didn't have any of the mercy left for Draco's dad. Harry just wanted him dead.  
  
Rooney made his way over to the two of them and said hello. He was a large man. He looked to be in fantastic physical shape even though he looked to be in his fifties. He had short hair that was very black with some splattered gray and it was extremely messy and pushed down, almost as though he had been wearing the hood to his cloak for several hours straight.  
  
Harry shook his hand and felt the tight grip of the man's fingers as they almost wrapped around his hand twice.  
  
"Nice to meet you Mr. Potter. I actually worked with your dad for a short while when he was younger." He said.  
  
"Really?" Harry said, "What did you two work on?"  
  
"Your father was training as an Unspeakable until he and your mom decided to get married. After that he couldn't risk it with a family. It wasn't that we really worked together, I mainly just taught him for a while." Rooney said.  
  
"My father was an Unspeakable?" Harry asked.  
  
"He was just training to be one. Not many have what it takes, but your father did. He began right out of school, but your mother made him think otherwise. We can't have families you know. He ended up choosing your mom over the work. It was the right decision," he said smiling at Harry.  
  
"Why can't Unspeakables have families?" Harry asked.  
  
"Doesn't mix well Harry. It used to be allowed, but not anymore. Ministry had to do away with it. Unspeakables' families were getting tortured and such. We have many enemies. Plus, it's not easy trying to have a relationship with an Unspeakable. Never home.. And when you're home, you're always thinking about work. Just not the right life for family." He said.  
  
"That sounds very lonely." Hermione said.  
  
Rooney looked at her for a second then gave her a smile. "It can be Ms. Granger, for some at least. But someone has to do the job. We can't not have them you know. Sacrifices are made by some to ensure that peace and security are enjoyed by others. Just the way it is."  
  
Hermione wondered why anyone would risk that much and not have anyone to share it with. She looked into Rooney's eyes when he talked and saw kindness. She knew he was right, someone had to do these things, and she felt grateful that he and the others were out protecting them.  
  
"Harry, why don't you tell me a bit more about that crew you took out yesterday? I heard one story from Black and one a bit different from Moody, just thought you could shed some light on it for me."  
  
"Errr.. okay. It wasn't much really." Harry said reluctantly. Then he continued to tell the story. Every few words Hermione would interrupt and add important and amazing things that he had left out as she heard them explained by Mrs. Livingston. Harry was obviously trying to tone the story down a bit. He felt that after people heard that story, they didn't look at him the same way. He spent a lot of his life wishing people would treat him as a grown-up and now for some weird reason, he wanted to be looked at as just a normal kid again.  
  
After he was finished telling the story, Harry asked Rooney to tell him as much as he could about his dad and the training they had done together. Hermione made tea for them all and they sat around the cave listening to Rooney tell stories about Harry's dad, and all of the tricks they always played on him and the other new recruits when they first got there.  
Moody and the eight others behind him made their way through the Dark Forest. Even though it was the in middle of the day the overhead coverage from the trees kept much clean light from getting down to the floor so the visibility wasn't great. They made their way through the thick brush, making clearings with their wands until they came to one of the main paths. These paths weren't there because of the creatures that lived in the forest, and they weren't there because people made a habit of traveling through the forest day after day. They had been created by Hagrid. The fact that Hagrid made frequent trips into the forest for different reasons, either to gather things that were found here for the school, or to visit Aragog, or the Centaurs, he had made many paths throughout the forest. With his weight and the size of his feet, and Fang always tagging along, it didn't take long before a clear cut path to form. Once you found one of these paths, it was easy to follow them back to the outside of Hagrid's cabin.  
  
Moody stopped at the start of the path and signaled for the Aurors to gather in close. When they did so, he pulled out the Marauder's map and studied it a bit then spoke again.  
  
"There doesn't seem to be anyone outside of the walls at all. When we get to the clearing, everyone throw on your invisibility cloaks and head to our entrance. When we get there, we'll stop for another map reading. I will pull my cloak off and show each of you your assignments. Then we wait for word. Remember, these aren't just normal dark wizards mates, these are Death Eaters. It's been many years since we've had to face a proper lot of them so make sure you are all practice vigilance! Now let's get moving."  
Dumbledore and his numbers were small, but so was their responsibility. It was Sirius, Lupin, Mr. Weasley, Archer, and Fletcher that were led by Dumbledore. All were wearing dark cloaks and all looked very formidable. But now that they had the full support of the Ministry and the teams of Aurors and Unspeakables, there wasn't a need for Dumbledore and the others to put themselves in unnecessary danger. Dumbledore was getting very old, and Lupin, Black and Weasley weren't real Aurors. They all were the first to stand up and fight against Voldemort when they discovered that he had returned, and they had already been risking their lives, but they each knew their place now. Dumbledore's responsibilities were to ensure that his students were safe, and to help the Ministry by lending the use of his knowledge, not his power, Mr. Weasley had a large family that counted on him, Lupin had his friends, and Sirius had Harry. And he could now look after Harry properly. He would now be able to be a true father figure for him, something he had not had since his father died. He would also be able to hold a place in society again, to live as a proud wizard instead of a convicted murderer.  
  
The group took their places, well hidden, at the front gates of the castle grounds. Dumbledore made sure that they were all alert and ready for the attack to begin.  
  
"Remember everyone, do not take unnecessary risks. Do what you know to do and this situation will remedy itself," he said.  
  
Dumbledore then made his tall, pointy, wizard hat disappear and pulled the hood of his dark cloak over his head. It was at this moment, that Dumbledore looked borderline scary. It was seeing him this way that left no doubt why Voldemort had always feared him. The others pulled their hoods up as well, wands in hands at the ready.  
Nigel Jax, the Auror, and his team of Unspeakables slipped out of the Whomping Willow entrance. One of the Unspeakables held the spot on the tree while the others silently cloaked themselves and made their way to the base of the castle. Jax was the last out and pulled his cloak over his body and disappeared with the others.  
  
"To the side entrance... Be silent, wait for the order." He said softly.  
Hurst and his team got to the end of the passage way that led them directly into the castle. Hurst knew that his team would be the first to come into contact with the enemy, but this did not deter him from wanting his team at this position. He had studied Moody's map last night and watched as the Death Eaters made their patrols. He knew exactly where they would be, and how many would be there. They counted nineteen names on the map and he knew that they would have the numbers on their side, but more importantly, they had the element of surprise.  
  
Hurst opened the passage way and let his team slip by him silently until they had all passed. He wasn't worried yet because he knew that they hadn't been patrolling this particular section of the castle from what they could see on the map.  
  
He silently pulled his team into a classroom and huddled them together.  
  
"This is it. We start it. We take out the first set, and then we signal Dumbledore from the window. We leave this room cloaked. Every pair has their assigned man, take him down quietly and move to your position. If you run into any problems or surprises take the usual measures. The other teams will follow. Don't try to do more than your share here. Team one and two clean this area, wait for my signal, and then hold while the other teams move into position. Any questions?"  
  
Everyone was ready. No one had a single look of fear or even anxiety in their eyes. They weren't even breathing heavily. These teams were made to take out Death Eaters, and some had to fight the smiles off of their faces as they knew their time had come.  
  
Hurst nodded at them, and they all cloaked themselves. The cloaks these teams possessed were invisibility cloaks, but they were more than just that. The team's cloaks were coded with a very special type of magic that made them completely invisible to everyone except their own group. The cloaks worked against smell, sound and even extraordinary magical items such as Moody's magical eye. They wouldn't even show up on the map while wearing them. The teams were non-existent while they wore these cloaks. The only down side to the cloaks were that magic could not be performed from inside of them. But this meant that they were only detectable for a split second just before they took out their targets.  
  
The first two teams moved silently through the castle. According to the map the first two Death Eaters should be posted just down the first corridor. They moved silently into their positions.  
  
The two Death Eaters were sitting down talking about betting on Quidditch games. One was arguing that he was jinxed because every time he won the bet on who would score the first goal, he would always lose the bet on who would capture the snitch; therefore he never won any money. He was explaining to the other that he thought it was a conspiracy of some kind.  
  
"I just don't see how that can happen three times in a row," the burley Death Eater said. "It always makes me feel like cursing someone when I think I'm going home with extra money in my pocket, and then at the last minute I never do."  
  
The other one just laughed at him. "You think the whole world is one big conspiracy. You used to think that Ludo Bagman was throwing games for the Wasps remember? It's always something with you. Where the hell is that house-elf with my wine? I swear next time I'm down there in the kitchen, I'm throwing one of them in the oven..... Did you hear that? Sounds like he's coming up the stairs now," The second death eater said as he walked towards the stair well.  
  
A few seconds later he came back, "It wasn't him. I swear I think their doing this on purpose." he stopped. His friend was gone.  
  
"You run off to the bathroom again? How many times is that today? I swear if Lucius knew how many times you've left your post today he'd prob.."  
  
The Death Eater fell to the floor unconscious.  
  
The Unspeakable reached down and pulled the small object off of the Death Eater's neck and placed it back into a pouch. He then pulled the cloak back around him and disappeared.  
"Sir, can you talk to me about what's going on at the castle today?" Harry aksed Rooney.  
  
"They are taking it back Harry."  
  
"Sir, when you say taking it back, do you mean they're going in there to kill everyone?"  
  
"No Harry, the Generals all know what needs to be done, sometimes this means killing, but those occasions are very rare, they only kill when they feel their own lives are in danger, but that doesn't happen too many times."  
  
"Sir, if they are going in there fighting Death Eaters, you're saying that they don't feel like their lives are in danger?"  
  
"Harry, even though I am a General, that doesn't mean you have to call me sir. Call me Albert. Hermione, you can do the same," he said smiling to them.  
  
"Now let me answer your question Harry. First of all, you are a good example."  
  
"Me?" Harry interrupted.  
  
"Yes you Harry. Yesterday you had your life threaten by three of them, yet you didn't feel the need to kill them."  
  
"I guess that's true." Harry said.  
  
"No guessing to it Harry. When you are dealing with your life, there can't be any guesswork or you won't last long. You knew Harry. You didn't guess, you just knew that you could deal with them without killing them. This is the way we work Harry. All of us. The Unspeakables are wizards that have gone way beyond the normal studies that are taught at Hogwarts. We learn many different types of magic Harry and we use different methods to deliver that magic."  
  
"Different methods?" Harry asked.  
  
"Yes Harry. I obviously can't tell you all of the details, but for instance, we use a lot of internal magic that most can't control without a wand."  
  
"I didn't know that anyone could actually do that well. All the books that I have read say that people can move things, and apparate, but they really can't do much more than that," Hermione said.  
  
"That's not true Ms. Granger. It takes a lot of practice and not everyone can do it of course, but there are all sorts of things that can be done without a wand."  
  
Harry didn't say anything, but when he heard this, his mind was flooded with memories, thoughts, and instances of magic being performed without wands. He saw himself concentrating on the spell and triggering it with a snap of his finger, or a clap of his hand to release it. This had to be another one of these things that Godric had given him.  
  
"You disagree Harry?" Rooney asked after seeing a strange look on Harry's face.  
  
"No! no sir. I was just thinking about some of the times I have seen people perform spells without wands. I totally agree with you sir," he said.  
  
"I am sure the two of you have done things, unpredicible things, but still instances of magic when you were angry or frightened. Everyone can do it to a point, but we teach them how to focus it. It can be very deadly when properly focused." Rooney said.  
  
"Harry blew up his Aunt Marge one time and he didn't use a wand." Hermione said smiling.  
  
"Very funny Hermione. It was a while back and she made me a bit angry and I just lost control." Harry said to Mooney.  
  
Mooney smiled at him, "Most wizards and witches have instances of this. The truth is that most Unspeakables and some Aurors don't use wands at all. We carry them, but that is for every day type spells. The things we use when we are working against dangerous wizards are very different. We have many methods of delivering spells quickly and quietly so that we aren't spotted."  
  
"What types of things?" Hermione asked.  
  
"I really can't go into that Hermione, but I can tell you that they are very efficient, just as efficient as wands, just a bit more...discreet."  
Hurst moved quietly into one of the classrooms that had windows facing the front of the castle. He took out a small marbled-sized sphere and rolled it between his thumb and forefinger and it began to glow and then shot a laser- like light down towards the front entrance to the castle.  
  
Professor Dumbledore looked up towards the window and then put his arm up in the air. In a few seconds, Fawkes came out of nowhere and landed on his arm. He smiled at him and then said softly. "Tell them it is time to begin Fawkes."  
  
Fawkes flew off of his arm towards the rear of the castle. 


	25. The Battle for Hogwarts

Chapter 25 - The Battle for Hogwarts  
  
Moody and his group waited patiently at the side of the castle. They were cloaked and couldn't be seen, but somehow Fawkes knew exactly where to find them. Moody looked up and saw Fawkes make a quick circle in the air, then fly away.  
  
"Okay laddies, in we go." Moody said as he unlocked the door with his wand.  
  
- - -  
  
Jax searched the skies until he saw what he was looking for. A few of the others looked up and saw Fawkes as well.  
  
"It's time. You all know what to do. Make haste and use caution." Jax said.  
  
They then slipped through the door.  
  
- - - Moody looked at the map after they walked inside and saw three Death Eaters walking towards their position. He quickly pulled his cloak down and tapped the map showing the others of what was coming. Two of his team members took the lead and setup with their backs against the corridor wall so that they wouldn't be hit by the passing Death Eaters, and also so that they could slip behind them undetected. The Death Eaters weren't talking to one another, but it was clear that they weren't trying to be quiet. One of the two Aurors that had slipped passed them, pulled out his wand and tapped it on the wall gently three times, then pulled his hand back inside of his cloak.  
  
The three Death Eaters stopped and turned around to see what had made the noise and not a second after they had done so, five of the team, including Moody, had already disabled them.  
  
"Bind them and take them around the side of the castle. Quickly!" Moody said.  
  
In less than a minutes time they were back. Moody pulled the map out from his cloak and studied it one more time.  
  
"Split up from here. Team one, take the first patrol unit, up and to the left, one man. Team two, take out the other unit, downstairs, left corridor third door in the dungeons, three of them, they have hostages there so use caution. When you're finished, hide the Death Eaters and instruct the hostages to remain there. Phillips, go with me, we're headed for the Headmaster's office." Moody said as he disappeared under his cloak.  
  
- - -  
  
One of the Death Eaters was walking down the stairs when the staircase moved causing him to get lost. He had never been in the castle before so he had absolutely no idea where he was now. The castle had an eeriness to it, and it was very quiet. He was walking down a corridor looking for another set of stairs to take him down, when he felt a breeze of wind across his face. He stopped to try to get a better idea of where the wind was coming from when he felt something touch his neck, and he fell to the floor. Two of Jax's team pulled the cloak off of their heads and drug the man into an empty classroom.  
  
"I don't remember anyone patrolling here last night," said one of the Unspeakables.  
  
"Probably lost. Let's clear this area and get downstairs," he said quietly as he bound the unconscious Death Eater and pulled his cloak back over his head.  
  
- - -  
  
The team that Moody had sent to the dungeons made their way down there without any resistance. They were outside of the closed door, that apparently contained three Death Eaters and the hostages, when they pulled their hoods down to talk with one another.  
  
"You two know the drill, this is close combat, watch the hostages. McKinney you're the striker, we'll assist," the Unspeakable said.  
  
The three Death Eaters sat in chairs at the front of the dungeon classroom behind the professor's desk, while the hostages sat in the student's chairs. Madam Pomfrey and a couple of the other summer teachers were in the room along with several other maintenance personnel. They all sat there quietly while the three Death Eaters talked to each other with their wands out in front of them.  
  
They heard the door click as though someone were trying to open it and all of them, Death Eaters and hostages, stared at the door to see if it were going to open.  
  
One of the Death Eaters got up quickly from his chair and walked over to the door with his wand raised. The teachers and staff members watched with worry as he made his way towards them.  
  
"All of you get against the wall!" the Death Eaters said pointing at the hostages.  
  
They did as he said. All of them backed against the wall and watched as the door slowly creaked open. The other two Death Eaters were now directly behind the first one, one of them had his wand out pointing at the door, the other had his wand pointing at the hostages.  
  
The door creaked and began to open slowly but then began to shut again. It looked as though the wind was causing it to open and close. The Death Eaters slowly watched as it opened again, this time fairly wide, and then began to slowly close. They could see that it was clearly doing it by itself but still were concerned. Finally the Death Eater that was closest to the door signaled to the other two that he was going to open the door. He crept up to it and violently swung the door open, but didn't see anyone there. He then made a quick step and was outside the door but didn't see anyone down both directions of the corridor. He then walked back in and closed the door and checked it to make sure it was closed firmly.  
  
"Wasn't anyone there. Did you close the door well when you came back in earlier?" he said to one of the other Death Eaters.  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure of it," he said in his defense.  
  
"Don't think ya did mate." Said the third.  
  
"GET BACK IN YOUR BLOODY CHAIRS!" yelled the first one to the group of hostages.  
  
They all hurried back into their seats, and looked terrified while doing so.  
  
After looking at the door one more time with a puzzled look, the first Death Eater went back to the front of the class and sat back down next to the other two. He started reading a week-old Daily Prophet while the other two Death Eaters began talking about the possibility of the door blowing ajar. Madam Pomfrey was terrified before the event that just took place, but now she thought she might possibly suffer a heart attack if one more unexpected event took place.  
  
That theory was then tested. She glanced up at the Death Eaters who were all facing her, and noticed three men magically appear behind them. These men were standing directly behind them and the Death Eaters had no idea that they were there. The three men had an object in each of their hands and quickly slapped the objects against the Death Eater that was in front of them, causing all three Death Eaters to fall to the floor unconscious. One of the men walked from behind the desk and addressed the hostages.  
  
"Ladies and Gentlemen we are from the Ministry of Magic and are here to help you, but we must ask you to stay in this classroom until we can finish the clearing of the castle. It is not safe yet. You shouldn't be visited again by any dark wizards, but if you are, tell the visitor that the men left the classroom after they heard a noise. We will leave the wands of these three with you. Keep them hidden and don't do anything with them unless your lives depend on it. We'll take these three out and make sure they won't be found. Thank you for your cooperation."  
  
One of the other Unspeakables gathered the wands that had fallen on the floor when the Death Eaters had been neutralized and brought them over and three of the staffers took them and hid them in their robes.  
  
All three of the Unspeakables pulled their cloaks back over their heads, and Madam Pomfrey and the others watched as the three bodies of the Death Eaters appeared to drag themselves out of the classroom as the door closed behind them.  
  
- - -  
  
Moody and Phillips made their way to the base of the gargoyle staircase and Moody used the map along with his magical eye to survey the area. He gave a thumb's up to Phillips and then pulled the map out of his cloak. They both looked at it and saw dots on the map that represented Lucius Malfoy and two others names that neither recognized. There was no way for them to get into the room other than the single staircase, and since the staircase wasn't raised, they wouldn't be able to get up there without being heard.  
  
Moody walked over and sat down for a second to think. He knew that if the staircase was raised, all three would be alerted that someone unexpected was making their way towards them, and even if they were wearing invisibility cloaks, he didn't want to take the risk.  
  
They both stared at the map for a second until Moody spotted at dot inside of the Great Hall that made his magical eye almost jump out of his head with excitement. He looked over at Phillips and pointed at the dot named Mcnair. There were two others in there with him, but the name Mcnair, brought a smile to his face.  
  
"You handle these other two, this one is mine," he said still tapping Mcnair's dot.  
  
They pulled the cloaks over their heads and headed into the Great Hall. When they got there, Moody and Phillips were still invisible behind their cloaks, but Moody pulled his cloak off just a second before he magically made the doors to the Hall burst open. When he walked in, all three dark wizards were eating and were caught by surprise. Mcnair had his axe stuck into the table just a few inches from his hand, but he didn't go for it even when he saw that Moody already had his wand pointing at his head.  
  
"Hello Mcnair. Told ya I'd catch back up with ya one of these days remember that? You may have fooled the Ministry all these years, but I knew what ya really were," Moody said scowling.  
  
"Nice to see you again too Mad Eye, it's been a long time hasn't it? What are you going to do here today Mad Eye, you can't handle all three of us." Mcnair said quickly glancing down at his axe.  
  
"I don't need to handle all three of you Mcnair," Moody said plainly.  
  
Mcnair stared at him puzzled for a bit, then looked at his axe again, and then back at Moody.  
  
"You don't think they're just going to stand there and let you curse me do you?" Mcnair said.  
  
A smile came across Moody's face for a second as he saw Phillips appear suddenly and like a flash, disappear again, only to have both of the Death Eaters that he was standing between slump over onto the floor.  
  
"I don't think your two friends are going to have much to say about it." Moody said.  
  
Mcnair heard his friends fall and then stared at his axe again quickly and then back to Moody as he now knew that Moody and he weren't the only ones in the room.  
  
"Go ahead and go for that metal there Mcnair, it'll be easier for me to kill you." Moody said.  
  
Mcnair stared at the axe for a second and then back to Moody. He knew that he didn't have a chance, not with the wizard that was standing somewhere behind him undetected.  
  
"I didn't think so Mcnair, you never did have it in the bravery category, but I never could say that you were stupid," he said.  
  
Moody then smiled and shook his head at the Death Eater, then raised his wand and in one quick motion disabled him with an 'accido corpo' spell that made him fall from the bench he was sitting at. The spell didn't render you unconscious; instead it just made everything you did ten times harder. Walking, thinking, and even blinking were chores. The spell sort of sucked the usable energy right out of your body making you feel like you just ran a marathon. And this was exactly what Moody wanted, because he had plans for Mcnair, and they didn't include him being knocked out or dead.  
  
- - -  
  
Lucius Malfoy sat in the headmaster's chair and stared at all of the wizards pictures that hung around the wall. Most of them were sleeping, but the ones that were awake shot him dirty looks or turned their noses up at him. They could tell very easily that he didn't belong there. He turned to one of the Death Eaters that was flipping through one of the old books that he had pulled out of the bookshelves.  
  
"I could run this school and make it ten times more useful to the students than that fool Dumbledore," he said.  
  
The Death Eater didn't say anything, he seemed to be caught up in his book, or at least was pretending to be. Lucius didn't take any notice, but kept talking anyway.  
  
"Think of how powerful this school could become if we ridded it of all of the mudbloods and taught the students to serve the Dark Lord. Think of what we could do with an army of students at his command. Draco would have thrived here with the right teachers."  
  
He stopped there. Thinking of Draco made him very emotional, but it wasn't sorrow, mostly just anger because he had blamed Draco's death on Dumbledore, not himself or Voldemort. He thought of Draco's death as some sort of accident that Dumbledore could have prevented. He didn't take even an ounce of responsibility for his son's death.  
  
Lucius forced himself to stop thinking about Draco. He focused on the task at hand, and that was trying to hold down the castle while teams of Death Eaters tried to locate Potter and Fudge. Lord Voldemort had already killed the three Death Eaters that allowed Harry and Fudge to escape. He didn't just kill them though, he tortured them to death. He made sure that the others witnessed a man suffer so much pain that his body, mind and soul simply gave up and broke. Once this happens to a man, his life will leave him as well. The three men screamed a horrific scream, the sound was unlike many of them had ever heard before, and that was saying a lot considering most of them had been involved in torturing other wizards and muggles. Voldemort was angrier over this failed plan than he had been at any other, and the spells he tortured those three wizards with, reflected his anger, evil and sheer power that was thrown into them. Lucius had no desire to experience this pain and suffering so he wanted to make sure that he held onto the castle while they tried to locate Potter and possibly recover Fudge. He knew what was at risk.  
  
Lucius jumped out of the small trance his thought had pulled him into when he heard the staircase begin to raise. He looked up at the other two Death Eaters to make sure that they were aware that he was concerned about this unexpected visitor.  
  
They pulled out their wands and were at the ready but Lucius stayed sitting behind the desk. If it wasn't anything to be concerned about he didn't want anyone to think he was edgy or that he had any fear of something as simple as the staircase raising.  
  
They all watched closely as they heard a single set of footsteps walking towards the office door. It opened and all three were put at ease when they saw Mcnair walk through the door with his axe in hand down at his side.  
  
"What is it Mcnair? You know I gave you all strict orders not to leave your posts." Lucius said.  
  
"I do, but we have a problem. It seems as though we have two out of position, doesn't seem like anything to be worried about yet; I think they just got lost after they left the Hall for lunch."  
  
"Is that all? Well just send someone to go look for them. There are several on assignment that went to school here. Surely the castle hasn't changed that much since they were here," Lucius said spitting.  
  
"Yes sir," Mcnair said as he started to turn away.  
  
"Oh sir, there is just one more thing," Mcnair said turning back around.  
  
"What is it now?" Lucius said shaking his head and rubbing his forehead with is hand.  
  
"Just this."  
  
Mcnair threw his axe across the desk and it landed squarely in the middle of Lucius Malfoy's head splitting his head almost in half. The blade had been magically sharpened and it could cut through just about anything including bone. Blood began to pour over what was left of his face as he slumped and twitched over Dumbledore's desk.  
  
The other two Death Eaters were caught by surprise and didn't know what to do. They stared at Lucius and one of them turned their head to be sick because of the graphic site and sound of the blood pouring off of the desk onto the floor.  
  
The other Death Eater pulled his wand out and immediately shot a spell that disabled Mcnair who had been standing there with a blank look on his face at what he had done.  
  
After Mcnair fell to the floor, the Death Eater walked over to him and searched his cloak for his wand, but he didn't find one.  
  
The sick Death Eater had just now turned back around but still had his hands over his mouth as though he was about to be sick again.  
  
"What in bloody hell did he do that for?" he said with a high pitched voice.  
  
"Think he just bloody went mad. Go down to the kitchens and get some of the damn elves to clean up this mess," he said.  
  
He didn't hear him moving so he turned around, "Well what in hell are you waiting for?"  
  
But he could immediately see why he hadn't moved after he turned around. The Death Eater was on the floor unconscious.  
  
"Worse than a bloody woman, can't handle a little blood without fainting," he said shaking his head.  
  
He stood up to walk towards the passed out Death Eater, and as soon as he did he felt something cold touch his neck, then nothing but black.  
  
Phillips pulled his cloak off of his body and turned around waiting for Moody to do the same.  
  
"I've never seen anyone do that much damage with the Imperius Curse before," Phillips said shaking his head.  
  
"You've also never seen two men do more damage to a little boy in your life. The poor lad killed himself because of what they did to him." Moody said referring to Draco Malfoy.  
  
He then turned around and began to walk out of the room but stopped as he hit the door.  
  
"Phillips, no one survived this fight," Moody said calmly.  
  
Phillips looked up at him for a second, then down at Mcnair and the other two Death Eaters lying there.  
  
"Yes sir." He said.  
  
Moody then walked out of the room and down the stairs to meet the others in the Great Hall.  
  
No one was in real trouble at any time during the cleaning of the castle. The Death Eaters were all disabled and were all held down in one of the dungeons that had been magically secured. Dumbledore and his group were given the signal that everything had been cleared and they returned to the castle to meet the others in the Great Hall.  
  
Madam Pomfrey and the other hostages were hungry and tired, but all were seemingly okay. The castle had been recovered, none of the Unspeakables or Aurors were hurt or killed, and Voldemort had lost several of Death Eaters.  
  
Everyone seemed at ease after the event, everyone except Dumbledore.  
  
"This doesn't seem right." Dumbledore said quietly to himself.  
  
"What was that Albus?" Sirius asked.  
  
Dumbledore was staring at the ceiling and continued to do so for a second after Sirius had asked him the question. He looked at Sirius for a second then spoke again.  
  
"This situation, it doesn't seem right," he said again.  
  
"What do you mean?" Sirius asked him.  
  
"This situation. Voldemort sent his men to this castle to capture Fudge and no doubt to quietly use it as a base of operations. This castle is certainly large enough for Voldemort and his followers to use it even during the school year. So when their plan failed and Fudge and Harry escaped them, why would they have stayed here?"  
  
"You think he left them here on purpose?" Sirius asked.  
  
"It is possible Sirius. He knew that we would take it back, and he had to have also known that after Fudge and Harry escaped, that the Ministry would surely know of his return."  
  
"So if he left them here, he left him here knowing we would kill them or at least take them out of his service," Sirius added.  
  
"Oh dear," Dumbledore said.  
  
"What is it?" Sirius asked.  
  
"It's possible that he left them here knowing that we would use a large force to win this battle."  
  
"You think he used them as some sort of distraction then?"  
  
Dumbledore didn't say anything but Sirius knew that this was in fact what he had thought.  
  
"But distract us from what?" Sirius asked.  
  
"The Ministry perhaps... or possibly..." Dumbledore stopped.  
  
Sirius felt his stomach drop as though he had just done a nose dive on a Firebolt.  
  
"Harry." Sirius said. 


	26. Confrontation

Chapter 26 - Confrontation  
  
Harry and Hermione sat and listened to Rooney tell stories about Voldemort and the Death Eaters and all of the different times they had stopped their plans, and about some of the times they hadn't. Hermione was amazed at the things he talked about because most of it, she had never read about in books. Some of it, people wouldn't write in books even if they knew about it, because they were stories that no one would want to read about; stories of torture, murder, corruption and anything else that evil people could do to others. There were some really good stories too. He told stories of bravery, sacrifice, friendships, and unbelievable triumphs that seemed to always light up even the darkest of times.  
  
"Mr. Rooney, do you think we'll ever be able to kill Voldemort?" Hermione asked.  
  
"I don't know Hermione. That's a very good question. I think he's gone further than anyone in history to try to protect himself against mortal types of death. He still needs a body to be strong, we know that to be true, and as far as we know, that body is still susceptible to mortal types of magic and weaponry. I think if someone could kill the body, and take measures to capture his magical presence after the body died, there would be ways to entrap that presence and possibly kill it. There are a lot of things that we don't know about what he has done to make sure he doesn't die. If someone knew more about these measures I think they would be closer to finding the way to correctly destroy him."  
  
"You don't think Professor Dumbledore has an idea about how to do this?" Harry added.  
  
Hermione jumped in, "I think he does, otherwise Voldemort wouldn't have stayed away from him all of these years."  
  
"I'm not too sure. Hermione may be right, Voldemort may think he does anyway, but like I said, unless someone knows exactly what types of magic have been performed on him, they wouldn't be able to properly do away with him." Rooney said.  
  
"You all want some more tea? I need to walk down to the stream to get some water anyway so we might as well finish the rest of his off," Rooney said holding the almost empty jug.  
  
"I'll go get the water, you can make the tea, Hermione always makes it too weak," Harry said to Rooney.  
  
"I don't like it strong," Hermione said in her defense.  
  
Harry smiled at her then picked up the container that Moody had emptied and the one they had used the night before that was also empty and walked out of the cave down to the stream to get water.  
  
"Be careful Harry," Hermione yelled after him.  
  
The stream wasn't too far away, maybe half of a kilometer or so, but it wasn't an easy walk because of the steep mountain trails to get there. It was a nice day however and being outside of the cave and getting to stretch his legs made it worth the trip. It was late afternoon and being up that high, the weather was nice. The walk took him around fifteen minutes but he didn't really take his time. He reflected on a lot of the stories that Rooney had been telling over the afternoon, as well as some of the strange memories that didn't belong to him that were surfacing in his head. This seemed to be more and more common now. He would hear a story regarding torture or war and he would reflect on memories, stories, spells, and in most cases, stopping the torturers before they could torture again, or fighting in some of the wars. As he got closer to the stream he could begin to hear the rushing water and the sound became louder with every step until he had arrived at its banks.  
  
The mountain stream was very picturesque. The rocks that had been cut away by years and years of water flow sparkled and created different types of reflections as the stream of water passed over them. The sound of the water was enough to relax even a troubled mind like Harry's. He kneeled down at the bank of the stream and closed his eyes and let the sound of the water resonate through his ears and into his head. He felt at peace knowing something so simple and yet so powerful as a stream of water would always be there no matter what anyone like himself or Lord Voldemort did in the world. He could feel its energy and his mind raced with strange thoughts and memories and he slowly stuck his hand down and let the cold water pass though this fingers. He quickly opened his eyes and only had one word lingering in his head. Danger.  
  
Something didn't feel right to Harry. He felt anxiety and nervousness come over him as he quickly dipped the two containers into the river and filled them. He closed them up and draped them over his shoulders and began to walk at a quickened pace back to the cave. He stopped for a second to reposition the straps on his shoulders and it was at this moment, that he felt his scar begin to burn. He instinctively put his hand up to his forehead and rubbed it and then started to walk back to the cave with his eyes squinting as he rubbed his head.  
  
He made it a few more steps when it began to burn again, but this time it was so bad it made him knock his own glasses off of his head as he quickly reached up and used both hands to reach for the scar. He went down to a knee as he eyes began to water from the pain. He pulled a hand from his forehead and brought it to the ground to search for his glasses. He didn't open his eyes, but after a few seconds of feeling on the ground he found them and put them back on his head. He stood up and started walking again even though he was still having difficulty seeing because of the pain in his scar.  
  
Harry began to get very worried. He knew there was only one thing that made his scar hurt this bad and that was Voldemort being very close. He was having a hard time navigating the mountain path because he was doing it mainly with one eye closed and the eye that was open was watering. A couple of times he would stray from the path and run into brush. One time he ran into a small tree and scratched his face on one of the branches. It was a small scratch and it was bleeding a bit but he didn't notice because of the worry, the pain from his scar, and the adrenaline that was flowing through his veins. He reached down into his pocket and felt for his wand. He found it, but also felt the second wand that had belonged to the Death Eater that he had disabled in Dumbledore's office. He had used it to light up the cave and had never taken it out of his pocket after he picked it back up.  
  
As he got closer to the cave the pain continued to get worse. He had to get to Rooney and warn him, and he had to get to Hermione and make sure she was safe.  
  
He was about a hundred meters from the cave when the pain in his scar suddenly stopped hurting. He stopped and pulled his glasses off and wiped the tears out of his eyes so that he could see more clearly. He dropped the water and ran to the opening of the cave.  
  
Harry stopped at the foot of the cave and had instinctively pulled out his wand. What he saw when he got there made his heart begin to race and his stomach drop.  
  
Hermione was bound in ropes and was lying next to Wormtail. Rooney lay lifeless on the floor of the cave his eyes wide open and his face expressionless. Harry looked around the cave and saw a dark figure come towards him from the shadows. Harry recognized this figure immediately. It was Voldemort.  
  
Harry's hand began to shake as he held his wand out in front of him. Something told him he should have attacked Voldemort immediately upon seeing him, but he didn't. He froze.  
  
Voldemort came out of the shadows and with a motion of his hand Hermione flew upright and was standing in front of him, his left hand was on the back of her neck, his right hand held his wand.  
  
"Hello Harry." Voldemort said with a smile.  
  
"Let her go" Harry said calmly.  
  
"You aren't in a position to bark out orders Harry. Now throw me your wand or I'll hurt her. You don't want me to hurt her Harry do you?"  
  
"I said let her go. This is between you and me." Harry said loudly.  
  
"Crucio!" Voldemort ripped with his wand pointed at the back of Hermione's neck.  
  
Hermione's mouth was bound by ropes, but her screams were so powerful that the ropes could hardly contain them. The curse didn't last long, but Hermione had never experienced pain like this and the look on her face when Voldemort was finished was one that Harry never wanted to see again.  
  
"Here's my bloody wand!" Harry said throwing his wand at Voldemort who caught it mid-air.  
  
"You hurt her again and I'll kill you." Harry said. The tone of his voice was one that Voldemort had not expected from a wandless teenage wizard.  
  
"Kill me Harry? You really think you can kill me? No one has been able to before Harry, but I like seeing that dark side of you." Voldemort said.  
  
He finally looked down at Harry's wand that he held in his hand and right away a smile crept across his face.  
  
"I see you found my wand's brother. I can feel it. Now I know why I was unable to fight it at the graveyard Harry. At first I thought you just might be that powerful, but now I see that we had common cores to our wands. This is very interesting, but at least I know that after I kill you Harry, I'll have a very nice spare wand in case anything ever happens to mine."  
  
"Let Hermione go."  
  
"There you go barking out orders again." Voldemort said shaking his head. The smile crept off of his face.  
  
Voldemort turned around and looked down at Wormtail who was trying to yell something from under the ropes.  
  
"Wormtail, I knew you would betray me. When Harry and that fool Fudge escaped from the castle I knew that someone had betrayed me, and I knew it had to be you Wormtail. Then I watched you Wormtail, I saw them bring you here and I knew that it would be just a matter of time before the fools went to get their school back. Your Mark told me where to find you Wormtail, the Mark is very useful to me; you have no idea what all it can do for me."  
  
Voldemort was still holding Hermione by her neck and he leaned down with his mouth by her ear and held his wand in front of her face as he spoke.  
  
"What do you think my dear? He has betrayed me too many times don't you think?"  
  
Voldemort knew that Hermione couldn't speak, but he wasn't intending her to speak.  
  
"I think your right; I think he isn't very useful to me anymore." Voldemort said in a cruel voice.  
  
"Deflagro tarus," Voldemort said. The spell shot out of his wand right in front of Hermione's face and she closed her eyes while the flash happened.  
  
Bright blue and green flames consumed Wormtail, and as Voldemort flicked his wand, the flames got higher. Wormtail was screaming and flopping on the ground trying to get away from the flames but he couldn't. In a matter of a few seconds the smell of burning human flesh had filled the air.  
  
"Have you ever smelled someone being cooked alive before my dear?" Voldemort asked Hermione.  
  
Hermione could do nothing but close her eyes, but this only stopped the sight of Wormtail burning. She could still smell him and hear his screams which were now more audible since the ropes that were around his face and body had burned off; he was now violently screaming and flopping on the ground.  
  
Harry had taken one quick glance at Wormtail and winced, but then shot his eyes back on Voldemort. His hand had slowly crept down to his pocket where he felt the Death Eaters wand that was still in there.  
  
Voldemort had also stopped looking at Wormtail, and had also stopped maintaining the flames, but the body was still burning and the sizzling was still audible. Wormtail's screams however, had stopped. He was now dead.  
  
But Harry has stopped paying attention to this. He was concentrating on Voldemort, and more importantly Hermione.  
  
"If you want me, you had better let her go." Harry said.  
  
Voldemort looked down at Hermione and smiled.  
  
"Harry, I had no idea that you had someone that you cared so much for. Isn't that heart warming? If I had known that, I would have come after her a long time ago. Since I killed both of your parents, I didn't think you'd have anyone close enough to you that could become useful. I guess I was wrong."  
  
"I swear to God if you hurt her again, I'll kill you." Harry said softly but sternly.  
  
"You are brave even without a wand Harry. I would love to throw you your wand back and let you fight to the death, but we both know that isn't possible now don't we. We tried it before and once again you showed just how lucky you were by getting away."  
  
Voldemort crept down by Hermione's ear again while still looking straight at Harry with those evil red eyes.  
  
"What do you think my dear; wouldn't you like to watch me hurt him?"  
  
Hermione shook her head violently and gave a muffled scream. She tried again to get away from him, but the ropes around her only tightened and she was unable to move.  
  
She could fell the air from his mouth blow across her ear as he spoke.  
  
"She doesn't want me to hurt you Harry. I guess she wants me to just kill you quickly. I don't think I owe her any favors though," he said pretending to try to remember something.  
  
"Let her go, NOW!" Harry said.  
  
"I warned you not to bark orders at me Harry, didn't I my dear?" He said to Hermione.  
  
"CRUCIO!"  
  
Harry tried to dodge the curse but he tripped over a large rock and it hit him in the chest as he was falling.  
  
He had experienced this pain before, but it was impossible to get used to. For some reason though, instead of wishing for death this time, he had an idea. The pain had almost forced him to black out, but he somehow stayed conscious as he saw something forming in his head that was helping to block some of the pain.  
  
Hermione couldn't watch Harry getting hit by this curse. She was still shaking from the fear and the pain that it had inflicted on her, but when she saw Harry violently shaking on the floor of the cave, she began to sob uncontrollably. She wanted to help him but there was nothing she could do.  
  
Voldemort smiled as he saw Harry writhe in pain and flop around on the ground. He lifted the curse, but the smile remained on his face as he saw Harry curled up and shaking violently from its lingering effects.  
  
"If there is one thing I get pleasure from these days Harry, it is hurting you. It makes me almost reconsider whether or not I want to kill you. I'd so miss being able to watch you suffer."  
  
He looked down at Hermione and leaned his head close to hers again.  
  
"I wish he had been old enough to remember his parents dying. That would have given me a lot of pleasure seeing him cry over his parent's dead bodies. At least I'll get to watch him cry over yours."  
  
Harry slowly stood back up, and what Voldemort couldn't see, was that while Harry was on the floor of the cave, he had managed to get the wand out of his pocket and was hiding it in his hand so that it couldn't be seen.  
  
A smile crept over Voldemort's face as he whispered into Hermione's ear again.  
  
"Try to stay conscious for this; I want you to watch his face while I hurt you...Crucio."  
  
Hermione knew what was coming a split second before it happened. She felt the pain come and hardly noticed that he had dropped her on the ground. The pain seemed to last for an eternity but when it had stopped she still heard screaming. She thought she was hearing her own screams but then quickly realized that these screams were different. She slowly rolled herself over and saw something she could hardly believe.  
  
It was Voldemort, the skin on his face and hands were bubbling and he was screaming in pain. She noticed that both Voldemort's and Harry's wands were laying just a few inches from her face but she was still bound and couldn't get to them.  
  
Harry was walking towards Voldemort and the look on his face was just short of terrifying. The look was dark, darker than any look Harry had ever given before and darker than anyone could ever imagine him having.  
  
He was resonating with power as the wand flicked rhythmically in his hand pointing at Voldemort.  
  
"I warned you not to hurt her again," Harry said slowly.  
  
"You like snakes right? You want to be one right? Well snakes shed their skin from time to time," Harry said powerfully still flicking his wand at Voldemort.  
  
Voldemort screamed in pain as the white skin on his body boiled and burned. He fell to the ground and as Harry was almost on top of him, he disappeared with a pop.  
  
Harry's wand was still there, but Voldemort had taken his, and... he had taken Hermione.  
  
When Harry saw this he fell to his knees and began to cry as his whole body began to shake. Slowly, everything began to black out as he passed out on the cave floor. The last thing he saw, were Rooney's cold dead eyes looking back at him. 


	27. Kidnapped

Chapter 27 - Kidnapped  
  
Hermione had blacked out shortly after the last curse on her had stopped. She awoke in a small room that had only a small torch light by the door. She was still bound tightly, but the ropes around her mouth had been freed. She wanted to scream out for help but she wasn't sure if she wanted anyone to know she was awake yet.  
  
She stared at the room for a second and fought against her ropes for what seemed like hours before she finally gave in and decided to yell for someone.  
  
"Help! Can anyone hear me? Please help me!" she screamed.  
  
She didn't hear anyone and she began to cry from the strain of not knowing what had happened to Harry, and not knowing what was going to happen to her. Finally she heard what sounded like footsteps coming towards her.  
  
The door opened and a small man not too much larger than Wormtail came into the room.  
  
Hermione didn't say anything; she just stared at the man and she was scared to death.  
  
"I was told to get you out of these ropes and down to the dining area in a few minutes for some food."  
  
"Who are you?" Hermione asked with a trembling voice.  
  
"My name is Rockman, now don't cause any trouble. I think you're lucky he's keeping you alive." He said.  
  
"You have to help me. You have to get me out of here." Hermione said.  
  
"Keep your mouth shut and do what you're told! If you misbehave, I'll punish you." He said presenting his wand.  
  
He then flicked his wand and the ropes binding Hermione fell to the ground. She wasn't ready for the quick release and fell to the ground just after the ropes did.  
  
"Come this way." The man said waiting for Hermione to get to her feet.  
  
He made her walk through the door first and he stayed close behind her with is wand pointed at her as they walked.  
  
They were in some sort of underground palace. The hallways were very narrow, the ceilings weren't very tall, and the air smelled stale. The paths were long and seemed to go on forever. When they'd get to a cross path, he would bark out which way to turn and they would keep walking until they got to another. They had walked for what seemed like five minutes when they finally came to a set of large double doors which magically burst open and a large dining hall was presented behind them. It consisted of one large wooden table that would comfortably seat probably fifty men. The table was beautiful and was engraved with spider web-like designs. The ceiling was much higher than the one in the hallway, and it was painted with some sort of mural that had a language on it that Hermione didn't recognize.  
  
He sat Hermione down at one of the chairs at the table and sat down directly across from her.  
  
"We will wait for him before we start eating," the man said.  
  
Hermione stared at the man and didn't say anything. Her fear had been replaced by anger and the look she shot towards him reflected it.  
  
"Where is Harry? What did he do to Harry?" she asked the man.  
  
He didn't answer him, but the voice behind her did.  
  
"Harry unfortunately, is fine." It was Voldemort.  
  
He walked to the table and sat down by his servant across from Hermione.  
  
"That is all Rockman, you may leave us," he said.  
  
"Yes my lord. Anything else I can do my Lord?"  
  
"That will be all Rockman." Voldemort said.  
  
Hermione was terrified from the moment she heard his voice. She knew that she was now sitting across from the darkest, and possibly the most powerful wizard of all time. She still had pain lingering in her joints from the curses he had performed on her. She tried her hardest not to show her fear.  
  
"Please let me go." Hermione asked him.  
  
"My dear I am afraid that I can't do that. You are too valuable to me right now and there are things I need to know from you."  
  
Voldemort waived his hand and plates of food and goblets of wine appeared on the table.  
  
"I'm sorry but red wine is all I have to offer you to drink, I can assure you that it will bring out the flavor of the food though."  
  
Hermione knew that he was waiting for her to eat and she was hesitant to take anything, but then her common sense took over and she realized that he could kill her at anytime and she doubted very seriously that he would do it by poisoning her food.  
  
She took a couple pieces of bread and pulled them onto her plate. Voldemort seemed to be pleased that she was enjoying his hospitality and let a small smile creep across his face as he watched her take a small bite of the bread.  
  
"So it seems to me that you and Harry are very close."  
  
"He's my friend." She said plainly.  
  
"My dear I do believe that you are more than just his friend. There are things that I can sense and believe it or not, love is still one of them. Even though I do not feel love doesn't mean I do not recognize it. Harry has deep feelings for you I can assure you."  
  
Hermione reflected on what he had said for a second, and then pretended to take a drink of her wine to try and stall the conversation. When she put the goblet down she stared back at him, but had to look away as she found his red eyes to be too intense to stare at for very long.  
  
"There are questions that I want you to answer for me Hermione Granger. I don't want to have to hurt you again tonight so I ask that you not make me forcefully get the answers from you."  
  
Hermione didn't know what he was going to ask her, but she knew he would get the information from her one way or another. Even though she was a very advanced witch for her age, she was still no match for Voldemort, especially without her wand.  
  
"What kind of questions?" Hermione asked hesitantly.  
  
"I am going to assume that Harry and you talk often, so I am sure by now he has told you why I came after him and killed his parents. I had wondered how powerful he had become, but today, the spell he used against me was one that I can assure you wasn't taught to him at Hogwarts or any other school for that matter. The spell was an old dark magic that even my Death Eaters would never know how to perform. Do you have any idea where he learned that spell?" Voldemort asked her.  
  
Hermione thought about it for a second. She wanted to be careful how she answered his questions. She wanted to protect Harry as much as she could, but at the same time she didn't want him to resort to torturing her or using truth serum or she knew she would say more than she wanted him to hear.  
  
"He just knows things. I'm not sure how really, but he got away from the wizards at the castle by using spells that we haven't learned at school either. I asked him and he told me that he just has them in his head," she said trying to sound convincing.  
  
Voldemort stared at her for a second, it almost seemed as though he was staring through her. She wondered whether or not he could tell if she were lying. She tried as hard as she could to clear her mind while she waited for his response.  
  
He finally smiled at her and reached down and grabbed the goblet of wine from in front of him and took a sip.  
  
"So it has happened. I didn't think he would have received it so early, but it seems that it has happened."  
  
"What has happened?" Hermione asked him.  
  
"The transfer my dear. Your friend.. Harry... has become one of the most powerful wizards in the world. Of course he isn't anywhere near as powerful as me..yet, but he could very easily become that way. It's just a pity that we can't join our forces. The things we could accomplish together would be on a level that this world has never seen," he said.  
  
Has she heard him right? Harry one of the most powerful wizards in the world? She didn't want to give anything away with the expressions on her face.  
  
"Harry would never join you." Hermione said plainly taking another sip of wine.  
  
The smile that was on his face, disappeared quickly. "What makes you so sure? Everyone gets hungry for power, and I am the only one that could show Harry how to truly take advantage of his."  
  
"You killed his parents, I doubt he'll forget that and just join forces with you."  
  
"Tell me something Hermione. You know Harry better than most. Do you think he'll come after you, or do you think he'll send some of his Ministry friends, or that fool Dumbledore?"  
  
"You can't use me to get at Harry. He won't fall for that and I can guarantee that Professor Dumbledore won't allow him to walk into a trap just because you have me."  
  
Voldemort looked at her then laughed an evil laughed that cut through her ears.  
  
"You Mudbloods are very foolish. You don't think properly and that is your downfall. You cannot help it though, it's just bad breeding. I never knew what Dumbledore saw in Mudbloods. You would think that a pure blood like him would show a bit more loyalty to bloodlines."  
  
Voldemort stood up from his chair and finished off his goblet of wine.  
  
"You have been a very nice guest Hermione Granger and you have told me what I have needed to know for now. It's a shame that we must meet under these circumstances. Let's hope for both of our sakes that you serve your purpose. I promise that if you do, you'll die quickly. So please behave yourself while you are here. I don't want to have to send Rockman to punish you, and I can assure you that you won't want me to either. He can be very barbaric at times. When you are done with dinner, he'll show you to your quarters."  
  
He then apparated and was gone.  
  
Hermione didn't have an appetite, but she did drink the goblet of wine. She was so terrified, but was now a bit more at ease knowing Harry had escaped Voldemort one more time. She didn't want to die, but if it meant keeping Harry safe, she would gladly do it. He had already been through a life full of suffering and she didn't want to be used as bait for a trap that would catch him.  
  
She stood up from the table and went to the large doors and pulled on them to find that they had been locked. After she let go of them, one of the doors opened and Rockman was standing there.  
  
She followed him, expecting to go back to the small room that she woke up in, but instead found herself in a large beautiful bedroom. The bed was a large wooden four-poster with silk linens and large fluffy white pillows covered by a large red think blanket. The bathroom was large and had a huge bathtub with fluffy towels neatly stacked beside it. It was almost like a hotel room except there wasn't a single window anywhere.  
  
The door immediately locked behind her and she knew that this room, even though it was nice, was her prison.  
  
She walked over to the bed and lay down and began to cry. She though of her parents and the fact that she might never see them again. She though about Ron and how she might never see him again. But most of all she hoped that Harry wouldn't do something stupid and get himself killed trying to save her. She cried herself to sleep that night.  
  
- - -  
  
Harry awoke to the sound of Sirius shouting at him to wake up. It was dark outside and his vision was still very blurry. When Sirius saw that he began to wake up, he kneeled down and wiped the crusty blood from the scratch off of his face and then gave Harry some time to get his wits together. Harry rubbed his eyes and his forehead because of the lingering pain in his scar and when he let his glasses fall back over his face he saw Sirius kneeling beside him. He could make out Moody and Dumbledore standing above him.  
  
"Harry, what happened? Are you okay?" Sirius said.  
  
Harry tried to get up but fell back down and finally just let his head rest against the cave floor. He was very weak.  
  
"Hermione, he took Hermione," Harry said.  
  
"Who Harry? What happened here?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Voldemort, he killed Rooney, he took Hermione."  
  
Sirius helped Harry sit up and rest him against the cave wall. He fed Harry some water.  
  
Harry was slowly beginning to get his strength back and he slowly stood up.  
  
Professor Dumbledore came over and grabbed one of Harry's arms.  
  
"Take it easy Harry, you mustn't try to do too much right now," he said.  
  
Sirius had Harry's other arm to help stabilize him.  
  
"Harry, can you tell us exactly what happened?" Sirius asked him again.  
  
"I went to get water. When I was on my way back my scar started hurting. I hurried back and when I got here Voldemort had killed Rooney and he had Hermione tied up."  
  
Harry's legs gave way suddenly and they each helped him sit back down on the cave floor. Harry continued.  
  
"He killed Wormtail, burned him to death." Harry said pointing to the smoldering mass from inside of the cave.  
  
"Then he told me to give him my wand and I refused so he hurt Hermione. I warned him not to do it again, and then I threw him my wand. But I had the other wand, the one that Fudge had picked up from the Death Eater, and he hit me with the Cruciatus Curse. While I was on the ground I got the wand out of my pocket and he didn't it. When I stood back up he hurt Hermione again, and when he did I hit him with a spell that made him drop both of our wands. He fell and let go of Hermione but somehow he grabbed her again and apparated them both before I could get to him. I should have just tried to kill him, but something happened. After I threw that spell at him, I got really weak."  
  
"What spell did you use Harry?" Dumbledore asked him.  
  
Harry hesitated to answer him for a second. He thought of lying to him, but he knew that Dumbledore would probably see through him if he did.  
  
"What did you use Harry?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Ferve desquamo." Harry said softly.  
  
"What was that?" Sirius asked him not recognizing what he said.  
  
"Oh dear." Dumbledore said looking at Harry. Sirius looked at Dumbledore expecting an explanation.  
  
"I'm sorry Professor. I just lost control. He hit Hermione with the Cruciatus Curse twice. I wanted him to pay. I should have just killed him." Harry said.  
  
"What is that curse he used Albus?" Sirius asked him sounding confused.  
  
Dumbledore looked away from Harry for a second, then up to Sirius.  
  
"The spell he used is a dark magic curse that boils one's skin if I do remember correctly."  
  
Sirius and Moody both looked down at Harry wide-eyed. Harry put his head in his hands and wished he hadn't told them. He remembered the curse from one of his memories of a dark wizard torturing a man for information. In his memory the man's skin boiled right off of his body.  
  
"Harry, the reason you passed out because the spell you used was a dark magic spell. Your body isn't used to performing that kind of magic; I hope it will never be used to performing that kind of magic." Dumbledore said.  
  
"I'm sorry Professor." Harry still had his head in his hands and he was glad because he didn't want the three grown men to see him cry.  
  
But he couldn't hide the fact that he was crying when he spoke.  
  
"Why did he have to take her? Why didn't I just try to disable him and get us both away? I wanted to hurt him so bad. She screamed so loud when he hurt her, she stared at me.. and I had to do something. She needed.. me to do... something" Harry couldn't control his crying now.  
  
Sirius put his hand on Harry's shoulder and then pulled him up into a hug and let his God-son cry on his shoulder.  
  
"Harry, it's not your fault. We'll get her back. Let's get you back to the castle. You need some rest while we try to find out where he took her."  
  
Harry and Sirius walked slowly back to the castle, while Moody and Dumbledore apparated directly to the gates to begin working on trying to find Hermione's whereabouts.  
  
The walk was long and the two hardly talked. They were close to the castle before Sirius spoke.  
  
"Harry, Professor Dumbledore has filled me in about your situation. I don't mean situation, I mean what you have received as your birthright. It was very hard for me to understand so I can only imagine the toll it's taking on you. What happened to Hermione wasn't your fault, the same way that what happened after the Tri-Wizard Tournament wasn't your fault, and your parent's deaths weren't your fault. It's Voldemort's fault Harry, don't forget that."  
  
Harry walked silently for a second then stopped and turned to Sirius.  
  
"I'm sorry I used that dark spell. I promise I won't do it again." Harry felt ashamed.  
  
"I believe you Harry. I know what it's like to get angry and lose control. It happens to the best of us." Sirius and Harry continued walking a few steps more before Sirius stopped again.  
  
"Can you tell me one more thing Harry?"  
  
"Sure"  
  
"Tell me what happened when you hit him with that curse."  
  
Harry was caught a bit off guard when Sirius asked him that, but he knew that Sirius wanted the pleasure of hearing the details.  
  
"His face and hands started to boil and he fell on the ground and was screaming." Harry stopped paused as he recalled Voldemort looking down at his hands screaming.  
  
"But that was my mistake. I enjoyed it too much. I probably could have finished him off, but I hesitated to listen to him scream." Harry said.  
  
Sirius did want the details, but it was a bit disturbing to hear Harry talk this way. Harry's hatred for Voldemort was hate that most teenagers aren't capable of feeling yet, but Sirius could tell that it was genuine. Harry had the same look in his eye that Sirius himself had when he had finally found himself face to face with Wormtail.  
  
Neither talked after that. The two just kept walking and didn't talk again until they were back in the castle. Sirius almost cracked a smile when he thought of Voldemort on the ground screaming in pain, but then he thought about Hermione being taken prisoner and the thought of a smile was gone.  
  
Harry was looked at by Madam Pomfrey. She cleaned the scratch on his face and then he was allowed to go back to the Gryffindor common room. His whole body hurt from the magic he had absorbed, and he had to really work to climb thought the portrait hole.  
  
Harry walked in to find Meagan reading a book. She jumped out of her chair when she saw him.  
  
"Harry! Oh my God we were so worried. Mom said that you were in danger, she said they ran off to get both of you.." Meagan just realized that Hermione wasn't with him.  
  
"Where is Hermione?" Meagan asked.  
  
"He took her Meagan. I couldn't stop him and he took her."  
  
"Voldemort took her?" Megan asked as though she couldn't believe what she had heard.  
  
"She's not... dead... is she Harry?" Meagan said trying to fight her tears.  
  
"I don't think so. I think he just took her to get to me. I just hope he doesn't hurt her anymore."  
  
Harry sat down in one of the large chairs. It was the most comfortable he had been in a long time.  
  
"What happened, Harry?" Meagan asked quietly.  
  
"They left us to come take the castle back. It was a trap, he knew that they would all be here fighting and he found us. I was gone getting water and when I got back he was there waiting for me. I tried but I couldn't stop him. I couldn't get her away from him."  
  
Harry's voice cracked as he finished the last sentence. He was both physically and emotionally drained and he began crying again when he though about what Voldemort and the Death Eaters might be doing to Hermione.  
  
Meagan got up and walked over to him and kneeled down beside his chair.  
  
"Harry, don't worry. You know Hermione; she'll take care of herself until Professor Dumbledore can find a way to get to her back."  
  
"I have to find out where he is. He's only holding her to get at me. If I can find out where she is I'll get him to let her go." Harry said wiping the tears out of his eyes.  
  
"Harry, don't do anything stupid. Let Dumbledore and the others handle this. Mom told me they have been fighting him for a long time; they'll know what to do."  
  
"Harry stood up from the chair. "It was my fault she got taken in the first place. I could have stopped it and I didn't."  
  
Harry began to walk up the stairs to his dorm room.  
  
Meagan felt bad because she wasn't sure what to say. She hadn't been here for very long and already she had been exposed to so much danger and suffering. She watched Harry slowly walk up the stairway before she called out to him.  
  
"Harry, get some rest. I think the house elves finished cleaning your dorm room an hour or so ago. This place was pretty trashed from those Dark Wizards but they have most of it cleaned up already."  
  
Harry turned around and just nodded at her. He then continued back up to his dorm room, took a shower, and climbed into his bed. He was exhausted but tried to stay awake anyway. He wanted to know where Hermione was so that he could go and get her. He lightly slapped his face as he started to doze off to try and make himself stay awake.  
  
"Come on! You probably have the answer in there somewhere." He said as he patted his forehead.  
  
"Come on!" he said one last time. But it was no use, he was just too tired and dozed off to sleep. 


	28. Hermione

Chapter 28 - Hermione  
  
Shortly after Harry dozed off to sleep he awoke and found himself in what he knew right away was a dream. But somehow it was more than a dream because he was conscious of it. He knew that he wasn't at the school anymore. He was lying on some sort of small sofa in a room that was very dark. It seemed to be in a bedroom but he really couldn't tell for sure because the only light was coming from an adjacent room that had a large sink whose shiny handles were reflecting the dim lamplight. He walked towards this light and moved slowly so he didn't trip on any furniture or anything else that might be in his way.  
  
When he made it into the room, he confirmed that it was a bathroom when he turned the lamp up brighter. It was a large bathroom with a very fancy deep bathtub and huge cotton towels beside it. He grabbed the lamp off of its hanger and carried it back out to the main room that he had just woke up in. He saw that it was a bedroom and also saw that someone was lying on the large bed asleep. He looked around the room to see if anyone else was there, but the person on the bed seemed to be the only one here.  
  
As he walked closer to the bed he saw right away that it was a girl. She was laying flat on her stomach and he couldn't clearly see her face so he walked closer trying not to make a sound.  
  
He was right up next to the bed before he recognized the face that was partially hidden behind the bushy brown hair. It was Hermione. He reached out and gently shook her awake.  
  
"Hermione wake up."  
  
She jumped up quickly and looked around before she met Harry's eyes.  
  
"Harry! What are you doing here?" she asked.  
  
"I'm not here; at least I don't think I am. I think we're dreaming," he said.  
  
"How can we both be having the same dream?" she asked rubbing her eyes.  
  
"Hermione, I'm not sure. All I know is that I went to bed back at Hogwarts and I was lying in bed trying to figure out a way to find you and I fell asleep. When I woke up I was on that couch over there." Harry said pointing over his shoulder.  
  
"Harry oh no..but you couldn't have." Hermione said sounding confused.  
  
"Couldn't have what?"  
  
"Harry, I think you apparated here," she sounded worried.  
  
"How could I have? I don't know how to apparate."  
  
"Well you don't know how to get into people's dreams either but you seem to think you did that."  
  
"That's true," he said still confused.  
  
She leaned in and hugged him.  
  
"Harry I'm so glad to see you. I was so worried that he killed you."  
  
"I was really worried about you too. Are you okay? Where are you.or we?"  
  
Hermione didn't let go of the hug.  
  
"I'm okay Harry. He's keeping me here to try to get you to come after me. I don't know where we are though, I think underground somewhere."  
  
"Hermione, we have to get out of here." He said as they separated from the hug.  
  
"Harry we can't. The door is locked, and there are Death Eaters here. I think Voldemort is here too."  
  
Harry reached into his pocket and looked for his wand but he didn't find it.  
  
"Wait a minute," he said.  
  
"What is it?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Hermione, I don't have my wand. And..." he stopped.  
  
"And what?" she asked.  
  
"Hermione, I'm not wearing my pajamas," he said pulling on the dirty shirt he was wearing that day.  
  
"I don't understand," she said.  
  
"Hermione, I went to bed in my pajamas, and I know, I am sure I know I put my wand in my front pocket. I don't go to bed without it anymore."  
  
"So that means.. what does that mean?" Hermione stopped to think.  
  
"It means I don't think I really am here."  
  
"But you are here, and you hugged me," she added.  
  
Neither one of them could make sense of what was happening.  
  
Hermione finally looked up at him and grabbed both of his hands with both of hers and looked down at the bed.  
  
"You aren't really here are you?" she said softly.  
  
"I don't think so. I think we must be in a dream." Harry said.  
  
Hermione sniffed and let go of one of his hands to wipe her eyes.  
  
"That's good," she said.  
  
"Good? What do you mean?"  
  
"It's good because it's too dangerous for you to come here, Harry. That's what he wants. That's why he took me because he hoped you'd come looking for me," she said trying not to cry.  
  
"Hermione I'm so sorry. I should have stopped this.. but I was stupid."  
  
"It's not your fault Harry. Don't blame yourself for this."  
  
"He knew Hermione. He knew how I felt about you. If you wouldn't have been up there with me he couldn't have taken you."  
  
"I chose to be up in that cave with you, remember? You asked me not to come; you tried to warn me that it might be dangerous. So quit thinking that you are responsible for this. As for Voldemort knowing how you feel about me, he does know. He told me, and I'm glad he knows. I think he thought that after your parents there wouldn't be anyone that would love you, but he was wrong. A lot of people love you Harry. Sirius, all of the Weasleys, Hagrid, and...I love you Harry."  
  
Harry looked into her teary eyes and brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed it.  
  
"I love you too Hermione and I'm going to get you out of here."  
  
"Harry you can't. If you come here to get me, he'll be ready. He'll kill you, and then he'll just kill me anyway."  
  
"I'm not going to let him kill you Hermione. I might die trying but I am not going to let him kill you," Harry tried to sound forceful but his voice broke.  
  
When Hermione heard his voice break, it brought on more tears from her.  
  
She tried as heard as she could not to cry when she started talking again, but it was too hard for her. "Harry, you can't be selfish like this."  
  
"Selfish? What do you mean selfish?" he said wiping a tear from his eyes.  
  
"Harry, I mean with what you've been given. Even Voldemort said that you might become one of the most powerful wizards of our time. If you give yourself some time to learn, you can help a lot of people. Look at what Professor Dumbledore has done, all of the people he has helped. You could be even greater than he is, and you can't be selfish with your gift by risking it all for me."  
  
"Hermione, you can't ask me to just leave you here and let him kill you."  
  
Hermione was now crying fairly hard, but she tried to get control of it as she spoke again but the sobs were hard to control.  
  
"Harry, listen...listen to ...me. I don't... want you ...to sit and do nothing. I need you to... tell Professor...Dumbledore where I am.. maybe he'll know where...this place is." She stopped talking and wiped the tears out of her eyes. She then grabbed Harry's hand again and held it tightly.  
  
"I need.. you to do..something else for me.. Harry."  
  
"Anything.just tell me Hermione," he said.  
  
"Can you...can you send an owl... to my parents... and tell them...what has happened..and tell them..tell them..that I love them..."  
  
Harry could only nod at her. He was trying as hard as he could to be strong in front of her, but he was right on the verge of breaking down severely and he didn't want her to see that. He didn't want to think of the possibility that she might, in fact, never see her parents again.  
  
Harry closed his eyes for a second to try to fight back the tears that were welling up. When he opened them he was lying back in his bed at Hogwarts. He sat up in bed and began sobbing loudly. He would give everything he had if he could just make this all go away. His Firebolt, his invisibility cloak, all of his gold in Gringotts, he would even give up all of his magic and go back and live with the Dursleys as a muggle if it would all just go away.  
  
If ever he felt the weight of the world coming down on him, it was now. For the first time in his life he thought about just giving up and running away. He could just get his broom and fly as far as he could until he passed out from exhaustion, or died of thirst or hunger. Just get away as far as he could as fast as he could.  
  
He lay there in bed and listened to his heart beating between the sobs that were now starting to subside. Something inside of him told him that he had to get out of bed, find Professor Dumbledore and do everything he could to get Hermione back. He had to keep fighting. And that's just what he did. The sun was just beginning to rise but he got up, washed his face, changed out of his pajamas, went to the Headmaster's office and told Dumbledore what had happened in his dream. Dumbledore didn't seem a bit surprised at the accomplishment that Harry had described when he spoke of the quality of the dream and how they were able to speak and to touch one another. It was obviously another one of these magnificent powers that Harry had inherited.  
  
That afternoon Ron and his dad arrived at the castle. Ron found Harry in the Great Hall and for the first time, the two embraced. They didn't say a word, they didn't need to say a word; they just hugged one another tightly like brothers who hadn't seen each other in years.  
  
After they let go Harry suggested that they take a walk around the grounds of the castle. It was during this walk that Harry had filled Ron in with all of the events of the past couple of days. Ron had already been told by his dad about Hermione. His dad had received an owl from Dumbledore telling him that he was needed at the castle immediately and he suggested that Ron come as well. Harry told Ron about his dream and about how Hermione asked him to write a letter to her parents.  
  
Ron couldn't think of anything to say to this. He didn't think he would ever be able to do something like that, but he didn't hesitate to tell Harry that he would help him write it if he needed it.  
  
That night in the common room, Meagan and Ron sat close to one another and held hands. It wasn't their fault and they didn't know they were doing it, but the sight of them sitting there that way was very painful for Harry. He wanted Hermione there with him more than ever and the thought of her alone in that room made him get up and say goodnight to the two of them. He had just started up the steps when he heard the common room portrait-hole open.  
  
If there was one person other than Hermione and Ron that could make Harry feel better it was Hagrid, and he couldn't have squeezed through the portrait hole at a better time.  
  
"Hagrid!" Harry said jumping off of the stairs.  
  
He ran towards Hagrid and slammed into his stomach as he hugged him.  
  
"Harry! I got word on my way back that we had trouble here. I was worried that you might not be here when I got back."  
  
Normally Meagan would have been terrified to see an abnormally large strange human standing in the room with her. But after her short time with Harry, Hermione and Ron, she knew that she should only be worried if she saw that they were worried, and Harry's reaction and the smile on Ron's face told her that this huge man was a friend.  
  
"Hagrid! We were worried about you too. Did everything go okay?" Ron asked.  
  
"Of course it did. But we can talk about that later. What's happened? And who's your new friend?" he asked pointing to Meagan. "And where is Hermione?"  
  
Ron spoke up and Hagrid could tell right away that something was wrong.  
  
"This is Meagan, her mom is a new teacher here and..Hermione.." Ron hesitated and looked at the floor.  
  
"Voldemort has her." Harry said softly.  
  
Hagrid didn't say a word, he was stunned.  
  
He sat down on one of the sofas while they explained to him about Hermione's kidnapping and the events of the summer.  
  
Meagan made tea for them all and she stared at Hagrid's hands when she handed him the tea cup. They were enormous. She had never seen, or much less even imagined that a person could ever be that large. She wasn't afraid of him though. She could tell right away by his reactions to the events of the summer, and the tears welling up in his eyes when he heard the news of Hermione, that he was a friend to them all, and a good friend at that.  
  
"You don't know how glad I am to see you Hagrid." Harry said.  
  
"It's good to be back, Harry. It's late though, Fang's tired from the trip back and so am I. I need to get him fed and get us some rest. I'll see you three tomorrow. I'm going to stop by and see Dumbledore and tell him about my trip and see if he has any word on Hermione."  
  
Hagrid got up from the chair and ruffled Harry's hair before he turned to walk out. On his way out he saw the Foe-Glass in the corner. It had a large blanket pulled over it. They had covered it and put it in the corner of the common room because everyone was tired of seeing the shadows inside of it.  
  
Hagrid walked over to it and lifted the blanket enough to see the dark shadowy image in the mirror.  
  
"Is this who I think it is?" he asked the group without taking his eyes off of the mirror.  
  
"Yes." Harry said.  
  
Hagrid stared at the image with a mean look on his face, then dropped the blanket back over it and turned around to face them.  
  
"We'll get her back. Don't worry. If it's the last thing I do, I'll make sure we'll get her back. 


	29. The Portkey

Chapter 29 - The Portkey  
  
Harry went up to the dorm room directly after Hagrid left. He told Ron and Meagan he had something he wanted to work on before he went to sleep and wished them both a good night.  
  
After he was out of sight Meagan asked Ron if he knew what Harry had to do before he went to sleep.  
  
"Hermione asked him to write a letter to her parents and tell them what happened and that she loved them." Ron said.  
  
"Oh my God... I don't think I could do it," she said.  
  
"Me either." Ron added.  
  
Harry pulled out his quill and ink and found a new piece of parchment in his trunk. He sat and stared at it for a second and then dipped the quill in the ink. He knew this was going to be difficult, but he decided to just do as best he could.  
  
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Granger,  
  
My name is Harry Potter and I am one of your daughter's best friends. I hope she has mentioned me so this letter won't be too awkward. This summer as I am sure you know, Professor Dumbledore allowed her to come to the school to help me work through some of the problems I have been going thorough. As Hermione probably has told you, my parents were killed when I was just a year old, and I don't have any real family. Your daughter's friendship has helped me get through some of the hardest times of my life and I have always been grateful for her friendship. We are experiencing very dark times in our world. As there are in your world, the non-wizarding world, we have those who are very evil and these evil people commit horrible crimes against others. The difference is that in the wizarding world, these evil people possess powers that make them extremely dangerous. One of the darkest and most powerful wizards of our time was responsible for the deaths of both of my parents. He was stopped and everyone though he might be dead, but he has returned and has started killing again and he now has been trying to kill me. This evil wizard will stop at nothing until he is destroyed or until he destroys me, and the peace, law and order that many good wizards have worked so hard to sustain. This dark wizard calls himself Voldemort and he has many followers who help him commit dark acts against our kind. They recently attacked the school and we were able to get out before they could hurt us. We had to hide out while our Ministry of Magic took the necessary steps to ensure that the school was safe again. While doing this Hermione, myself, and the Ministry Official that was protecting us were attacked. The official from the Ministry didn't survive, but Hermione and I did. But something went wrong shortly after, and the dark wizard took her hostage. The Ministry Officials are working hard to get her back and I have confidence that they will do so. I am sure you will be hearing from them shortly regarding details. I was able to speak to Hermione not long after she was taken. She is fine, and they are treating her well so far, but she asked me to write this letter to tell you that she loves you both very much just in case something does happen to her. This has been one of the hardest things I have ever had to do, but as she is my friend, I promised her that I would write it.  
  
I know that this situation is a very serious one, but I hope that you don't worry too much. Hermione is very smart, very brave, and very powerful, and I know that the Ministry will do everything in their power to get her back safely. I will also do everything in my power to get her back safely. I am sorry to have to deliver this news to you, but as I said before, it was at Hermione's request, and she insisted that you know that she loves you both very much.  
  
If there is anything I can do to help you in this situation, please don't hesitate to ask.  
  
Harry Potter  
  
Harry stared at the letter and frowned. He tried to imagine what they would say when they received it. He read it a few times to himself and laid it down on the desk. He wanted to send it immediately just to keep his promise to Hermione, but Hedwig was down in the owlery and he decided he would just wait and do it first thing in the morning.  
  
"I'll just do it tomorrow," he whispered to himself.  
  
He then turned the lamp on his desk down, changed into his pajamas and went to sleep.  
  
Hagrid went up to the Headmaster's office to find Moody, Arthur Weasley and Sirius deep in conversation. They were staring at an old map that had half of the globe on it, and it was obvious to him that they were trying to find a probable location of Voldemort's underground palace.  
  
They all turned around when Hagrid walked in, and immediately exchanged their greetings. Hagrid had a lot to report to Dumbledore, but he knew it could wait.  
  
"Some of the old Egyptian burial tombs could easily house a small army, but it would take weeks to search them all," Mr. Weasley said.  
  
"I don't believe that Voldemort would use that type of location. There is too great of a risk of being discovered by a curse breaker or a muggle explorer, and he wouldn't have had time to prepare it properly to make it unplottable," Dumbledore said.  
  
Sirius slammed his fist against the desk and turned and walked towards the back of the room.  
  
"Patience, Sirius. We will find her," Dumbledore said.  
  
"I'm sure we'll find her too Albus, I just don't know if we'll find her in time, that's all." Sirius said.  
  
"Albus, I'm off to the Ministry. I'm going to try to persuade some of the Death Eaters we captured there to remember the location of this underground base." Moody growled.  
  
"Good idea Alastor." Sirius said. "Please hurry, I think our time is running short."  
  
Dumbledore nodded at him as he turned and began to slowly hobble down the steps of the spiral staircase.  
  
"Anything I can do tonight Professor?" Hagrid asked Dumbledore.  
  
"Get some sleep Hagrid." Dumbledore said to him smiling. "I can hear about your progress in the morning."  
  
"Night all." Hagrid said waiving one of his large hands.  
  
Sirius and Dumbledore huddled back over the map.  
  
"I'll go to the kitchens and get some strong tea; it's going to be a long night." Sirius said.  
  
As always, when Harry wasn't completely exhausted, had trouble getting to sleep. It was well after Ron had gone to bed, and Harry could hear his silent snores, that he finally dozed off.  
  
Harry was dreaming again. He immediately found himself holding a torch walking through a small confined corridor. There were no doors, no windows, and the corridor was so small and narrow that two people would have to stand with their backs against the wall to squeeze by one another. Harry had to be careful not to burn himself with the torch because of the confined space.  
  
He walked for what seemed like thirty minutes until the corridor he was walking through opened up and presented a large set of wooden double doors.  
  
Harry nudged up against the doors and they both opened with loud creaks. The room he entered was a large one. Harry guessed that it was large enough to play basketball in and the high ceilings made it look close to the size of one of the gyms back at his school in Surrey. The walls had around twenty touches on each sides and strange writing all over them. The floors also had strange engravings that Harry didn't recognize. He was too busy staring at the floors and the walls to notice the large thrown-like chair at the other end of the room, and the wizard sitting in it. It wasn't until Harry heard the wizard speak, before he started up to see who the voice belonged to.  
  
It was Voldemort.  
  
"Hello Harry."  
  
Harry felt a rise of hate suddenly fill his body as he stared at the figure sitting so comfortably in the large chair at the other end of the large room. Harry started walking towards him and as he did, he began to feel around for his wand, but it wasn't there.  
  
He still had the realization that he was in a dream, so not having his wand didn't worry him..yet.  
  
"Where's Hermione?" Harry yelled.  
  
"She's fine I assure you. She is nothing more than my guest right now Harry and it is up to you to decide if she stays that way."  
  
Harry was about twenty meters from Voldemort when he noticed that chair he was sitting in was made of bone, and Harry guessed human bone at that.  
  
The thing that stood out the most were the vertebrae acting as the arm rests, with the skulls still attached where Voldemort was resting his hands. Both of his hands were wrapped around the foreheads of the skulls with a couple of his long white fingers disappearing inside of the eye sockets.  
  
"Why can't you just let her go? As powerful as you are and you think you have to take a hostage to get me to come after you? You killed my parents; don't you think I'll seek you on my own at some point?"  
  
Voldemort smiled at Harry then stood up and walked towards him. He stopped just a few meters from him before he spoke again.  
  
"Harry I would expect that by now you would understand that I have no intentions of just killing you. I am after you Harry, and your power. It is true that before I tried to kill you, but now I have found certain things out about you."  
  
Voldemort walked behind Harry and put his hand on his shoulder.  
  
"You have no idea how powerful you could become if you would only give in to me. The things we could do, the magic we could create, it would be unstoppable."  
  
Harry took a step forward so that Voldemort's hand was out of reach of his shoulder, and turned around to face him.  
  
"You don't understand anything do you?" Harry said smiling at him and shaking his head. "You aren't here to stay. No one is. The things I have seen and the things I know now, I don't understand half of them yet, but one thing I do know is that there have been hundreds of wizards like you, and hundreds of wizards like me, and you'll die just as they did, and I'll die too. You may be the one that kills me, you might not be, but you're kidding yourself if you really think that you're unstoppable. Sooner or later everyone stops playing nice."  
  
Voldemort was obviously not pleased by these bold statements made by Harry. His face turned mean and his red eyes tightened and he leaned in closer to Harry.  
  
"You are nothing more than an arrogant boy! I admit that you do have enormous potential, but you are nothing more than an arrogant little boy. How dare you speak like you know the limits of my power! You have no idea how powerful I have become. You have no idea what I can do to you, and to your girlfriend."  
  
Harry felt real fear for this first time since he had walked into the room, but he tried his hardest not to let it show.  
  
He just stared at Voldemort and calmed himself before he spoke.  
  
"I warned you not to hurt her last time, and when you didn't listen, you saw what I did to you." Harry said calmly. "I promise if you hurt her, if you hurt her just one little bit, I'll make it my mission in life to make you pay for it and I won't stop until I do."  
  
Voldemort smiled at him. He loved seeing the dark side of Harry. He even started a small laugh before he spoke again.  
  
"Well then Harry, maybe I should just go and kill her now and get you here faster."  
  
Harry felt his heart start beating very rapidly. He took a deep breath again to calm himself, and he forced a smile back at Voldemort.  
  
"Because, Riddle, if you kill her, I won't come after you directly. I'll wait and make sure I learn the most violent ways, the most painful ways to hurt someone. Then I will come after you. It might take years, but I'll come after you. And I won't kill you, I'll hurt you within an inch of your life, I'll drain every ounce of power from your body, and I'll keep you alive just so that I can keep making you pay for what you did to her."  
  
The smile left Voldemort's face. He could sense the power and the anger coming from Harry. It was something he had never sensed from another wizard before, at least not this strong. He knew that had he ever been forced to meet Dumbledore face to face, he would probably have sensed the same thing from him. It was a strange sensation for Voldemort. He loved feeling this hatred from Harry, but at the same time, the strength that radiated from the young wizard almost scared him.  
  
He walked back to his thrown and sat down.  
  
"Harry, I don't have time to play games with you, so here is what I propose. I have had a portkey placed exactly one kilometer south from the Hogsmeade station on the railroad tracks. If you aren't there in an hour, I will start to hurt your friend. After the first hour, the pain will get worse until she finally dies from it. I won't wait long. I will make sure that she knows that she is being hurt because you didn't have the courage to come and face me."  
  
Harry's mind was racing. He wished he had his wand and that he could just end it right there.  
  
"And Harry, if you do come for her, I will allow her to take the portkey back, on this, I give you my word. If you come with anyone else however, I'll make sure they are all killed and you and your friend will watch each other being tortured to death."  
  
Voldemort snapped his fingers and Harry woke up staring at his clock. It said 4:15AM.  
  
Harry jumped out of bed and changed into the clothes he had worn the day before. His whole body was shaking as he nudged Ron awake.  
  
"Ron, you have to get dressed, meet me up at Dumbledore's office. It's about Hermione."  
  
"What happened?" Ron asked sleepily.  
  
"Just get up there. hurry!" Harry said, and ran out the door.  
  
When Harry got to Headmaster's office he found Sirius and Dumbledore still going over books and maps trying to locate where Voldemort might be hiding Hermione. Both of them were startled when they saw Harry run in, out of breath.  
  
"Voldemort!" Harry said trying to catch his breath.  
  
"Harry, slow down," Sirius said.  
  
Harry took a couple of deep breaths and then spoke again.  
  
"I had a vision and spoke with Voldemort. He said he had a portkey left for me outside of Hogsmeade. He said that I had to take it within an hour or he would start hurting Hermione. He said if I waited too long, he would kill her." Harry said still trying to catch his breath.  
  
"Well what are we waiting for?" Sirius said to Dumbledore. "Let's all take the portkey and get her back."  
  
"You can't," Harry jumped in. "He said that they would be waiting. He said that if I showed up with anyone else, we would all be killed." Harry yelled.  
  
"Harry you aren't going alone." Sirius said. "Albus, tell him he isn't going alone."  
  
"Harry, in this vision where was Voldemort?" Dumbledore asked.  
  
"The same place, it was still underground I think. I was walking in a long corridor with rock walls and ceiling. It was small, but then it opened up and I went through some doors into a huge room with strange writing in it and he was sitting on this large chair made of human bones. It had skulls and other bones all over it." Harry said in a panic.  
  
"What kind of place is that Albus?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Sirius, I'm afraid I have no idea." Dumbledore said.  
  
"I knows this place!" a voice said behind Harry.  
  
It was Dobby.  
  
"Here is sir's tea. Dobby makes it nice and strong just like sir asks," Dobby said handing one of the cups to Sirius.  
  
"Dobby did you say you know the place that Harry spoke of?" Dumbledore asked.  
  
"Oh yes sir. Dobby's old master made Dobby work there years ago. Dobby is scared in that place sir. Dobby never wants to go to that place again sir. That place is cold and dark sir."  
  
"Dobby where is it?" Sirius asked.  
  
"In the land of ice sirs. Up north. Deep underground sirs. Dobby knows the way," Dobby said shivering.  
  
Dobby went to the map and pointed at an unmarked spot in Iceland.  
  
"Dobby," Harry said grabbing him by the shoulders and spinning him around, "The Dark Lord has Hermione there. You have to show them Dobby, we don't have much time."  
  
Dobby looked terrified. "But sirs, Dobby gets cold there sirs."  
  
Harry shook Dobby. "Dobby! He's going to kill her."  
  
Dobby looked at Harry and then over at Sirius and Dumbledore. "Miss is going to get killed if Dobby doesn't go?"  
  
"YES!" Harry and Sirius said simultaneously.  
  
Sirius walked over and knelt down by Dobby. "Dobby, how long does it take to get there?"  
  
"Not long sir. Dobby just apparates there sir."  
  
Harry felt relieved and by the look on Sirius' face, he did as well.  
  
"But it takes Dobby almost two hours to walk down the steps sir."  
  
Harry felt the relief go away instantly.  
  
"Steps?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Yes sirs, there are steps that need walking down to the main chambers. Dobby gets tired and has to rest, but there isn't any way to magic down there. Dobby has to just walk and Dobby had to carry many things."  
  
Sirius had a look of panic. "There's no way we can get there in an hour."  
  
"I'm going." Harry said.  
  
Ron walked in behind Harry and was yawning.  
  
"Going where?" Ron said still yawning and stretching his arms.  
  
"He's not going anywhere." Sirius said.  
  
"I'm not just going to let her die Sirius." Harry said.  
  
"Harry, listen to me. He'll kill you. You can just sacrifice everything like this. He'll kill you." Sirius said.  
  
"She's there because of me Sirius! I'm not letting her die. It's my fault she's there and Voldemort said if I go then he'd let her come back. He said she could take the portkey back."  
  
"And you believe him Harry? Why on Earth would you believe him?" Sirius said almost yelling.  
  
"Because he gave me his word. Even if it's a long shot I'm taking the chance." Harry said yelling back.  
  
"Can someone tell me what's going on?" Ron asked.  
  
No one answered him.  
  
"Harry look," Sirius said trying to lower his voice, "What happened to Hermione is terrible, but we'll contact the Ministry and we'll hurry there and maybe we can get there in time to save her."  
  
"I'm not taking that chance." Harry said.  
  
"Harry look" Sirius said his with his voice almost at a yell again, "You can't just sacrifice everything you've been given like this. The power you have is something that can help a lot of people, and you can't just throw it away."  
  
Harry felt the anger welling up in him. "Then take it back!" he said looking at Dumbledore. "Give it to someone else! I don't want it anymore!"  
  
"Harry calm down." Professor Dumbledore said.  
  
"I don't want to calm down! I want to go get Hermione back!" he yelled.  
  
"I can't let you go Harry." Sirius said.  
  
"You can't stop me." Harry said quickly.  
  
"This is crazy! What's going on?" Ron added again.  
  
Sirius and Harry stared each other down for a second before Sirius reached in and pulled out his wand.  
  
"Harry, please don't make me stop you." Sirius said. "Albus, talk to him!"  
  
"Harry, he's right. We have to think this through." Professor Dumbledore said.  
  
"There isn't any time to think it through Professor; I've got forty five minutes to get there." Harry said.  
  
"I won't let you go Harry." Sirius said with a firm voice.  
  
"You can't stop me." Harry said calmly.  
  
Sirius quickly flicked his wand but before he could get a spell out of his mouth, Harry had thrown both of his hands out toward Sirius and magically knocked him to the ground. He didn't use his wand, but the force of the magic had knocked the wind out of Sirius and his wand out of his hands.  
  
"You can't stop me Sirius. I have to go." Harry said.  
  
Dumbledore just stared at Harry and didn't say a word.  
  
"I'm sorry Professor. She's my friend; I can't just let him kill her." Harry said to Dumbledore.  
  
Professor Dumbledore gave Harry a nod and a small smile.  
  
Harry turned around to Ron quickly.  
  
"I'm taking my Firebolt to the portkey, I can just make it. I have to get to Hermione. Come with me so you can help her get back. I'll fill you in on the way."  
  
Ron looked at Harry, and then at Dumbledore and then to Sirius who was still lying on the ground rubbing his chest. He nodded at Harry and followed him out of the castle.  
  
Sirius slowly got to his feet and then reached down and picked up his wand.  
  
"Just like his father." Dumbledore said almost smiling.  
  
"Too much like his father," Sirius said still short of breath. He then looked down at Dobby who was in the corner and looked scared to death. "Dobby, take me there now."  
  
Dobby extended a shaky hand to Sirius, and after Sirius grabbed his hand, they both disappeared.  
  
Harry was already through the main doors of the castle when Ron finally shouted behind him.  
  
"Harry, wait! I thought we were taking our brooms?" Ron said panting.  
  
"We are." Harry said after he stopped. He then looked back over his shoulder. "Get ready behind you, they're coming."  
  
Ron heard something cutting through the air behind them, and saw that it was both of their brooms.  
  
Harry reached up and in one quick motion mounted his broom and sped off towards Hogsmeade. Ron did the same.  
  
Harry flew close to Ron and looked at his watch and saw that he had a little more than thirty minutes to get there. That was plenty of time on the Firebolt.  
  
During the first few minutes of the trip, Harry flew just fast enough so that he could fill Ron in about his dream and tell him that he wants him to wait where he leaves to make sure Hermione gets back there safely. Harry then explained that he was going to rush ahead and find the portkey, and that he would light up his wand so Ron could find him.  
  
Harry's Firebolt was so much faster than Ron's broom, and Harry knew he could get there much faster than Ron. Ron didn't argue at this. He just watched his friend zoom off ahead of him and flew as fast as he could to try to keep up.  
  
Harry was flying faster than he ever had before. Everything was blurred including the lights of Hogsmeade, which came and went like a flash. Harry saw the station zoom past and he flew for another thirty seconds before he slowed down and started staring at the tracks below him. It wasn't long before he saw something small glowing down by the tracks. He touched down right beside it and slowly laid his broom on the ground. He looked down at it closely and saw that it was some sort of gold medallion that had the Dark Mark on it. Harry pulled out his wand, shouted 'lumos' and waited for Ron to fly to him.  
  
He had found the portkey, with ten minutes to spare.  
  
A/N-Thanks to LinZE for the correction on the Dobby/Winky thing. Sorry for that confusion! I had originally written the story with Winky knowing about the Palace, but changed my thinking. I figured it was more likely Dobby knew about it serving Lucius all those years. I just posted the old version. Thanks for all of the reviews so far! 


	30. Envisioning the End

Chapter 30 - Envisioning the End  
  
Ron saw Harry's wand, along with something else, glowing below him. He touched down and was a bit out of breath from flying so hard. He looked at the object below Harry and when he examined it closely he knew right away that it was the portkey.  
  
"I'm guessing that's it?" Ron said.  
  
"Yeah," Harry said. "Got almost ten minutes to spare."  
  
"Harry, you sure about this?" Ron asked.  
  
"Yeah Ron, I'm sure."  
  
"Well I'm going with you then." Ron said.  
  
"You can't Ron. He said he'd kill anyone that came with me."  
  
Ron kicked some gravel on the ground and then reached up and grabbed handfuls of his own hair. "You can't just go in there like that Harry!"  
  
"Ron, what am I supposed to do, just let her die? Is that what you'd do?"  
  
"Of course I wouldn't. You're right. You're right." Ron said still kicking at the ground.  
  
"Ron, can I have your wand?" Harry asked.  
  
Ron was confused by the question."Why Harry?"  
  
"Because I can't fight him with mine." Harry said handing his wand to Ron. "Here, it's a good wand. It's got one of Fawkes' feathers you know."  
  
"I know Harry. God! You're saying it like you aren't coming back or something." Ron said looking at his wand.  
  
"I might not be Ron. Sooner or later my luck's got to run out." Harry said.  
  
"It's not going to be tonight Harry. And anyway, from what I've seen from you lately you're needing less and less of it." Ron said.  
  
"Yeah... well let's hope I don't freeze up. Ron, if something should happen to me, I want you and your family to have my stuff. You get my Firebolt and my cloak, and I want your family to take over my vault in Gringotts, my key's hidden in my trunk. If Hermione makes it out and I don't, there's also a letter in there for her. Make sure she gets it, okay?"  
  
Ron just nodded. He knew that if he tried to talk right now he might break down, and he didn't want Harry to go in there with that on his mind.  
  
"Well here I go." Harry said.  
  
Before he could reach down, Ron intercepted him and pulled him into a hug. Harry could tell that he was crying when he spoke.  
  
"Harry, you get in there, and you don't do anything stupid. When Hermione gets out, you run. When she gets out, just run for it. That old bastard won't be able to catch you. Don't try to get revenge for your parents or anything. Just run Harry. Promise me."  
  
Harry hugged Ron back and closed his eyes and when he did, he felt a tear squeeze out of one of his eyes.  
  
"Ron, I don't know what I'm going to do when I get in there. But I can promise you that something will come to me. If I use what I've learned Ron, I'll be safe. I don't know how exactly I know that, but I just do."  
  
They pulled out of their hug, and Ron wiped his eyes and sniffed loudly.  
  
"When you get back, start teaching me some of that stuff okay? What you did to Sirius earlier was wicked and I want to do it to Percy next time I see him!"  
  
"I will Ron." Harry said smiling.  
  
Harry looked down at the portkey. He leaned down to a knee and then touched it.  
  
He felt a tugging at his navel and the rush of motion across his body. Before he knew what was happening, he was on the floor in a dimly lit room. When he pulled himself to his feet what he saw was enough to make any wizard start shaking with fear. He was inside of a circle formed by about thirty dark wizards. Hermione was tied up right behind him and was bound tightly so that she couldn't speak or move. None of the wizards seemed at all surprised to see him; in fact Harry could tell that they had been waiting for him. Harry pulled out his wand and flicked the ropes holding Hermione away from her.  
  
The Death Eaters began chanting something in a language that Harry didn't understand.  
  
"Shomu-gotu. Shomu-gotu" was echoing in the large underground room. It looked to be the same large room from Harry's dream.  
  
Harry reached down and helped Hermione up.  
  
"Harry, you shouldn't have come!" Hermione said wrapping her arms around him.  
  
"It's nice to see you too Hermione, what's all this?" Harry said hugging her, but never taking his eyes off of the circle of wizards.  
  
"I don't know Harry. I was tied up and brought here. The wizards all came in after and formed this circle."  
  
"Hermione, let's reach down there and touch that medallion, maybe it will take us out of here." Harry said leaning down to a knee.  
  
"Ready, on three. One, two, three." They both touched it, but nothing happened and it wasn't glowing anymore.  
  
"Damn." Harry said.  
  
They both stood up and when they did, the chanting stopped and the circle split to form two lines on both sides of Hermione and Harry.  
  
On one side there was nothing but a wall, on the other side, Voldemort was walking towards them.  
  
"Nice of you to come, Harry. I was just telling my followers that you would in fact make it. I knew that you wouldn't pass up a chance at all of this fun."  
  
"Let her go. You said you would let her go back on the portkey." Harry said.  
  
"I did, didn't I, and you are inside of the time limit. I am a man of my word." Voldemort opened his hand and the Dark Mark medallion flew into it. He took out his wand and touched it to the medallion and then threw it down just below his feet.  
  
"There you go Hermione Granger. You have been a very nice guest. Perhaps sometime you will return and we can spend more time getting to know one another." Voldemort said smiling.  
  
Hermione looked up at Harry, and then to the medallion that was glowing again down on the ground by Voldemort.  
  
"Take it Hermione. It will get you back to Hogsmeade. Ron is there waiting. My Firebolt is there. Ride it as fast as you can back to the castle." Harry said.  
  
"Harry.. I.." Hermione stopped.  
  
"Hermione, please go before he changes his mind."  
  
"Harry thank you for coming back for me." Hermione said as tears began to stream down her face.  
  
She hugged Harry more tightly than she ever had in her life. "I love you Harry."  
  
"I love you too, Hermione. Now please go."  
  
She was crying very hard now and she fell to her knees and started crawling towards the portkey that was right in front of Voldemort. She got just within reach of it and turned around to look at Harry one more time.  
  
He smiled at her and mouthed the words 'I love you'.  
  
She was crying harder now as she turned around and grabbed the portkey. Within a few seconds she was on her knees at the base of the train tracks and Ron was just a few feet away from her.  
  
He ran to make sure she was alright, but he wasn't sure when he saw her kneeling there shaking and crying uncontrollably.  
  
"Hermione! Please tell me that you're okay." Ron said trying to help her up.  
  
She was trying to talk but Ron couldn't understand anything she was saying.  
  
He finally pulled her into a hug to comfort her, and to stabilize her because she looked as though she was going to fall back to her knees at any moment.  
  
"Hermione, are you hurt? Please tell me if you're hurt and I'll go and get someone." Ron said.  
  
"He..came...for...me. I told..him not...too..but..he..came..for me."  
  
Ron could barely understand her because she was sobbing so hard.  
  
"Hermione, can you ride back to the castle with me?"  
  
Hermione just looked at the ground and didn't answer.  
  
"Hermione, we need to get back to the castle, you need to ride with me."  
  
Hermione wiped her eyes and then looked around and saw Harry's broom lying beside the tracks. She pulled herself away from Ron and reached down and picked up the broom and then wiped her eyes one more time.  
  
"You sure you're okay to ride?" Ron asked her.  
  
Hermione didn't say anything; she just nodded at him to acknowledge that she was okay.  
  
She then mounted the broom and took off in flight. Ron watched her go and then looked down at the medallion that was lying on the ground. He reached down and picked it up and then mounted his broom and took off to catch her.  
  
- - -  
  
Harry stood there staring at Voldemort almost as though he was oblivious to the others around him. He knew that they were there, but he also knew that they were harmless until Voldemort gave them an order to do something.  
  
Harry stood, wand in hand, slightly shaking, staring at Voldemort.  
  
He had no idea what was about to happen. It had crossed his mind a few minutes ago that the moments ahead might very well be the last of his life, but not now. Survival was the only thing on his mind. His view towards Voldemort had gone from wanting to kill him, to now just wanting to survive him.  
  
"Harry, here we are again. How lucky you are to keep escaping me. Sooner or later your."  
  
"I didn't escape you last time," Harry said loudly to make sure everyone heard him, "you took Hermione and disappeared screaming in pain, remember?"  
  
Voldemort seemed very angry by this, and some of the Death Eaters looked to him almost hoping for him to immediately deny Harry's story.  
  
"Yes, Harry, you did get a sneaky curse off didn't you?" Voldemort smiled as he surveyed the Death Eaters. "Harry, you have no idea how much I could teach you. I'd like to give you one more chance to join forces with me Harry. The wizards you see before you are but a few of my many faithful. They would be at your command as well Harry. You could do anything, have anything, and be anything."  
  
"Never." Harry said smoothly. "Never."  
  
Voldemort stared at him for what seemed like hours to Harry, but it was only a few seconds. He then smiled at him and shook his head.  
  
"Then it ends here Harry. It ends now." Voldemort said loudly.  
  
He then surveyed the two lines of Death Eaters once again and another smile crept across his face.  
  
"I am going to give you a fighting chance, Harry. Let's see how your dueling skills have developed shall we?"  
  
Voldemort then pointed to one of the Death Eaters, who walked over to him, and then turned around to face Harry.  
  
"Harry, I will be very disappointed if you die right off. I am hoping that you give us all at least some demonstration of what you've learned at that great school that you and Dumbledore speak so highly of." Voldemort then said something quietly to the Death Eater that was facing Harry, and then stepped out of the way to watch.  
  
"Bow to each other!" Voldemort said loudly.  
  
Harry didn't bow, but the Death Eater across from him did, never taking his eyes off of Harry, and never getting rid of the evil smile that his face had been wearing ever since he stepped across from him.  
  
"Begin!" Voldemort screamed.  
  
At the sound of Voldemort's voice the Death Eater had already thrown a curse at Harry, but Harry was ready for it.  
  
"Declo!" Harry yelled, and when he did, a large blue sphere formed around his wand and his hand and he used it to hit the curse that was thrown at him, almost like someone swinging a baseball bat at the ball. The curse was deflected and hit one of the other Death Eaters who began screaming in pain.  
  
The Death Eater threw another curse at him, and Harry did the same thing, and the deflected spell hit another Death Eater that was standing outside of them watching, but this time Harry didn't wait for another curse.  
  
"Extrudiate!" Harry said and a wide light of magic hurled towards the Death Eater. It was much too large for him to deflect or to dodge, and when it hit him, he flew a hundred meters across the floor of the entire room and crashed into the wall.  
  
Harry couldn't tell if the force killed him or just knocked him unconscious, all he knew was that he wasn't a threat anymore, and neither were the two that had been hit by the deflected curses from the sound of their screams.  
  
Voldemort then yelled, "Karrigan!" and another Death Eater stepped out in front of Harry.  
  
Karrigan bowed to Harry, but this Death Eater didn't have a smile on his face, it was more of an evil look of determination. When he arose from the bow, Harry was ready.  
  
"Onus Aufero!" The Death Eater was hit with the curse but didn't seem affected by it. It wasn't until he shrugged it off and threw a curse right back at Harry did he know what had happened to him. The curse Harry had hit him with had made him weightless and the force from his own wand made him fly up into the air and backwards slowly, but out of control nevertheless.  
  
Harry dodged his curse easily and yelled "Aquilo!" which forced a strong wind through the room that blew the weightless wizard across the large hall with arms and legs hopelessly flapping at the air, until he slammed into the wall hard and fell not too far away from the previous Death Eater.  
  
Harry stood there wand still raised and slowly looked across the room at the Death Eaters. He noticed right away that their expressions had changed from when he first appeared in the room. There was now a hint of seriousness about them and a stronger hint of fear.  
  
Voldemort still had a smile on his face though, almost as though he were proud of Harry.  
  
"I'm glad that you didn't come to run away this time Harry. It's so much more fun standing and fighting instead of running and hiding don't you think? Have you had enough? Shall we keep going or are you ready to join us?"  
  
Harry didn't say anything. He just kept his wand at the ready and stared across at nothing as if he were just waiting on his next opponent.  
  
- - -  
  
Sirius and Dobby had appeared in what looked to Sirius like the middle of nowhere in the middle of a blizzard. He didn't have a winter cloak or any cloak for that matter and Dobby was in nothing but his latest summer shirt with an apron both of which he had made himself.  
  
The snow was hitting the side of Sirius' face at a stinging speed. His entire body was already freezing when he leaned down to talk to Dobby.  
  
"Dobby! Are you sure we are in the right spot?" Sirius said at a yell so that Dobby could hear him over the howling wind.  
  
"Dobby is sure sir!"  
  
Dobby then clapped his hand and said something into the howling wind and what looked like a large black hole appeared in the endless white ground. It shook the ground as the large doors opened revealing an endless staircase going deep down into the bowls of the Earth.  
  
Dobby wasted no time going down them and Sirius followed. Sirius barely had his head below the ground when he heard the large doors begin to close leaving the snow, the howling winds and everything else above them, behind. There was a loud echoing boom when the doors closed, but when it was gone, the only sounds were coming from Dobby's small feet as they quickly began to walk down the stairs.  
  
The torches in the stairwell were limited, and the dark staircase seemed to go down forever. Sirius had already passed Dobby and was taking the steps as fast as he could.  
  
He yelled to Dobby to hurry, and then changed into Padfoot to make better time.  
  
- - -  
  
Harry tried to calm his breathing as another Death Eater walked in front of him. This wizard was older than most of the others there, and Harry could sense that this one might not be as easy as the other two had been.  
  
After he bowed to Harry, he just sat there with his wand raised in the air. Harry did the same. He had expected a quick attack, and when it didn't come, it threw his thinking off a bit. Finally Harry decided to make the first move.  
  
"Expelliarmus!" Harry had shot the disarming spell at the Death Eater, but it hadn't traveled half way to him before the wizard yelled something back. Harry noticed this, but not quickly enough. The wizard had somehow made his curse turn around on him, and the next thing he knew he was on the ground and didn't have his wand.  
  
Harry rolled instinctively and felt the heat from a curse that barely missed him. He quickly glanced around for his wand, but didn't see it.  
  
Another curse had been thrown at him while he was wildly searching for his wand, and this time he didn't manage to get fully out of the way. The curse hit his left shoulder and Harry was immediately engulfed by the feeling that someone had poured melted iron on his shoulder and down part of his arm.  
  
He fell to the ground screaming in pain and clawing at the shoulder of his robes trying to peel off whatever it was that was making his arm burn.  
  
The crowd of Death Eaters began to laugh loudly, including the one that had hit Harry with the burning curse. It gave Harry just enough time.  
  
He concentrated on the spot across the large room, where the Death Eaters had fallen earlier. He concentrated his energy despite the scalding feeling of his shoulder and the next thing he knew, he heard the clatter of wood scratching on the stone floor and then felt a wand come to his hand.  
  
The laughs stopped immediately and Harry knew that another curse was coming for him.  
  
"Confugio" Harry said pointing the wand at himself and he then pushed hard off the ground. The curse went well past him as he flew quickly over the wizards head and landed behind him; all in a fraction of a second.  
  
Before the wizard could fully turn around, Harry had hit him with a curse that made him slump to the ground unconscious.  
  
Harry himself went back down to a knee. The burning was back in his shoulder and even after he threw a small cooling spell over his arm, the pain refused to go away.  
  
Despite the unbearable pain, he didn't want to look at his shoulder and upper arm under his robe. He was afraid of what he might see. Instead he tried not to show the pain he was under and stood up and turned back around with his new wand in his hand.  
  
"Very well done Harry! But we now see you aren't invincible after all are you? Did that hurt?" Voldemort asked getting another rise of laughter from the group.  
  
"Madison, this has gone far enough, why don't you end this?" Voldemort said glancing over his shoulder.  
  
"Yes master. Can I at least have a bit of fun first?" he asked Voldemort almost imitating a child asking his father for some ice cream.  
  
"Of course you can, but not too much. We have other things to do as you know." Voldemort said.  
  
The wizard that emerged from the group was by far the most formidable looking to Harry. He made Harry imagine what Moody probably looked like when he was in his top form, although this wizard was much larger and had all of his limbs and eyes.  
  
Harry's left arm and shoulder had begun to shake badly from the pain of the injury but he concentrated as hard as he could to try to block it out.  
  
He held the wand steady and had it pointed at his next opponent as he saw the wizard bow to him and then immediately pull his wand back at the ready.  
  
Harry was faster to throw, but the other wizard was deceptively quick as he dodged the curse and had already returned the attack. Harry barely rolled out of the way and when he did so, he landed on his injured shoulder causing a fresh wave of pain to engulf his body. He stumbled backwards and dodged another attack and blindly threw a curse at the man and heard a yell as he fell backwards.  
  
Harry completed a clumsy backwards summersault to find that he had hit someone with the blind curse that he had thrown, but not the one he had intended to hit. This delay was just enough for Madison to hit him in the leg with a curse that Harry would never forget.  
  
Harry vaguely remembered hearing something resembling "compunger" but all of that left his mind the second the curse hit him.  
  
Harry felt as though he had been stabbed with a thousand needles. The pain was everything as powerful Cruciatus Curse, but the difference was that this curse left marks. He opened his eyes to see small pools of blood forming red dots all over his hands, and from what he could tell by the pain shooting through his body, he was bleeding everywhere else as well.  
  
Harry fell to the ground and the wand he was holding rolled a few feel from his hand. All of a sudden, the room full of Death Eaters blurred away, the sound of the room was gone, and more importantly, so was the pain. He was back in the small room at Hogwarts where he had first met Godric Gryffindor.  
  
- - -  
  
Sirius was making great time as Padfoot. He was in rhythm and was getting down a flight with only two large strides. He was horribly out of breath, but refused to stop. It wasn't long before he was at the base of the steps and was staring down a long corridor. He transferred himself back to Sirius and pulled his wand out as he tried to catch his breath without making too much noise. He had no idea where he was going, but he guessed that wherever Harry was, Voldemort and the others were as well, so he headed down the corridor as fast as he could, ready for anything that might be waiting for him.  
  
- - -  
  
Harry didn't feel the pain in his shoulder anymore, and he didn't see the small, bleeding holes in his hands as he had just a few seconds ago. He was still glancing down at his hands when he heard the door open and again saw Godric walk through it just as he had earlier in the summer.  
  
But this time he wasn't smiling when he greeted him.  
  
"Harry, you must hold on. You have to hold out just a few minutes longer and help will reach you." Godric said.  
  
"What do you mean hold out? I was lying on the ground and the next thing I know, I'm here." Harry said sounding confused.  
  
"Harry this place isn't of the mortal world. You came here because you are but a step away from death." Godric said.  
  
Harry stared at him speechless for a second. "Death?" he finally asked.  
  
"Yes Harry, but it is not time for you to die. You must go back, you must hold on."  
  
Harry was suddenly conscious of the pain all over his body again, and was also conscious of the loud talking and laughter that was coming from the Death Eaters as they cheered on his torture.  
  
Harry tried to get up but he couldn't move. He knew he had to find a way to defend himself. Godric had told him that help was on the way and so all he needed to do was get up and defend himself just a bit longer.  
  
He tried again to get up, but still could only barley move. It must have looked comical to the Death Eaters because he could hear laughter every time he attempted to get to his feet.  
  
After his second failed attempt he thought of just lying there and letting the Death Eater finish him off, but he then though about Ron, Hermione, Sirius, Hagrid and all of the others that loved him. He thought of their faces and imagined their reactions when he didn't return to them. He then thought of his parents and what they would see in him when he finally met them again, but as a teenager, and not an old man with grandchildren. This seemed to spark something in him.  
  
The Death Eaters didn't notice the wand come flying back into Harry's hand, and they couldn't hear him say the words 'motus' over and over again.  
  
But they did feel the shaking and rumbling of everything around them.  
  
"Motus...Motus" Harry said a bit louder after taking another deep breath trying to block out the pain. He thought of Hermione, "Motus" he thought of Ron, "Motus" he thought of Dumbledore and Sirius his Godfather, "Motus."  
  
Each time he said the word, the room began to shake and rumble louder and harder.  
  
Large chunks began to fall from the ceiling as the rumbling began to get louder and louder. Some of the huge chunks fell on top of confused Dark Wizards crushing them to death. The floor began to develop large cracks as well. One of the cracks opened so suddenly that it swallowed a few of the Death Eaters that weren't ready to move out of the way.  
  
Voldemort stared around at the room and was just as confused as the others until his eyes stopped on Harry who was still crumpled on the floor. His eyes stopped because he could sense a great energy coming from Harry. The room was in chaos as wizards were trying to shield themselves from the caving ceiling and at the same time just trying to stay on their feet from the violent shaking of the room. Voldemort didn't pay any attention to that though. He was more concerned with Harry and what he was doing to cause all of this destruction.  
  
Voldemort in one swift motion flew over to where Harry was lying and could see immediately that Harry was in fact the source of the problem. With one quick snap of his fingers the wand Harry was holding flew out of Harry's hand and into his. The effects of the spell were still in motion however. The room continued to crumble and destroy itself.  
  
Voldemort reached down and grabbed Harry by the robes and then flew the both of them to the entry way of the room. Harry was only partially conscious of what was going on. He continued to whisper "Motus" even though he didn't have a wand.  
  
Voldemort grabbed him around the neck and held him at eye level which made Harry's feet dangle a few inches from the ground. He had done it so violently that Harry's glasses flew off of his head.  
  
The pain from the curses, made him oblivious to the fact that he could hardly breathe, or even the fact that Voldemort's long fingernails were cutting into his neck causing a stream of blood to roll down his chest. By this time, the tiny holes that were all over Harry's body, had all bled enough to start showing through his clothes. It was a terrible site.  
  
"Harry, I think we are finished playing games. I am impressed with what you have done today, but we are now finished. Say hello to your parents and give them my best." Voldemort said with an evil look on his face. He then took out his wand and jammed the tip of it under Harry's chin.  
  
He had begun to say the words when something crashed into him, causing him to hit the ground hard and his wand to fly several meters away back into the crumbling room.  
  
It was Padfoot.  
  
After knocking Voldemort to the ground, Sirius changed back to a human and immediately reached down and grabbed Harry. He was in shock at first when he looked down at his bloody Godson. He then began to run back through the corridor holding Harry who was now completely limp and had no idea what was going on.  
  
Sirius had managed to pull his wand from his pocket and was holding it behind him and screaming "interitio," every few seconds, causing massive explosions that caused cave-ins behind him blocking the Dark Wizards from following them back through.  
  
"Harry!" Sirius screamed as he glanced down at Harry to see if he would respond.  
  
"Harry! Answer me!" Sirius said once again.  
  
Nothing.  
  
He could tell that Harry was still breathing, but he wasn't sure for how much longer.  
  
He wiped the tears out of both of his eyes and kept running towards the end of the corridor. He was just short of exhausted. When he got there, he saw a large figure standing in his way.  
  
It was Voldemort.  
  
Sirius was in a bad position. He couldn't drop Harry to fight Voldemort, and even if he did, Voldemort was already waiting for him, he wouldn't be quick enough. But as he walked closer he noticed something.  
  
Voldemort didn't have his wand.  
  
Sirius was just a few steps from him before he finally stopped.  
  
"Hello Mr. Black." Voldemort said.  
  
Sirius was in no position to attack him; he was using both of his hands to hold Harry and the hand that did hold the wand was right by Harry's head.  
  
"I don't think you can save him, Black." Voldemort said looking down at Harry. "If there is one thing that I can smell, it's death."  
  
Sirius was beyond rage, and for a split second he considered dropping Harry for a quick attack on Voldemort, but he held back. He knew Harry might not survive it.  
  
"Get out of my way." Sirius said.  
  
"Go ahead and take him. You didn't get to bury his parents as I recall, so at least you'll get to bury their son, and take a message to Dumbledore for me as well. I won't be stopped this time, and I won't be as forgiving as I was before. You and your friends are on the losing side Black." Voldemort said coolly.  
  
Sirius silently rushed past Voldemort and was at tears from the sheer rage he was feeling and from the sight of his bloody Godson that was lying limp in his arms.  
  
He spotted Dobby coming down the stairs and yelled hysterically for him.  
  
"Dobby! Take Harry back to the castle; get him to the nurse immediately."  
  
Dobby already had tears in his eyes at the sight of Harry. He magically lifted Harry and began to move quickly up the steps with him.  
  
Sirius made sure they were on their way and knelt down to a knee to try to catch his breath and stop himself from shaking. After a few minutes he changed to Padfoot and began the climb up the stairs even though he was just short of collapse from exhaustion. 


	31. The Choice

Chapter 31 - The Choice  
  
Ron, Meagan and Hermione sat silently in the common room. The only sounds came from Hermione, who had been crying off and on since she and Ron got back to the castle. They both went straight to Professor Dumbledore and Hermione did her best to explain what was going on right before she had taken the portkey, but it was very difficult for her and several times she had to lean on Ron as she cried loudly. Professor Dumbledore did his best to comfort her, and then asked Ron to take her to see Madam Pomfrey before they went back to the common room.  
  
Ron had never seen Professor Dumbledore in a worse state. He had always been the unstoppable, invincible, all-knowing hero to Ron and it really hurt him to see the dark circles under his eyes and the shaking of his hands as he tried to comfort Hermione as she continued to give him details about Harry and the Death Eaters. Ron was doing his best to stay strong for Hermione, but not getting the solid reassurance he was used to from Dumbledore, made it impossible for him to hold back silent tears.  
  
Now that they were back in the common room, Ron felt the need to stay strong for both Meagan and Hermione and he found himself saying positive things and reminding them that Harry had escaped Voldemort before. In reality though, Ron was trying to convince himself that Harry would be okay, just as much as he was the girls.  
  
Hermione had just begun to get control of her sobs when she got up and went over to the Foe-glass. She looked at Ron and Meagan before she pulled the blanket off of it, almost hoping that they would stop her, but they stayed silent. Hermione slowly turned it around and then held her breath as she looked into it.  
  
Ron could tell that something was wrong with what she saw.  
  
"What is it?" Ron asked her.  
  
Hermione slowly turned it around to show the others that the mirror was clear. There wasn't a single shadow showing inside of it.  
  
Ron looked at it and then to Hermione who had started crying again.  
  
"What does that mean?" Ron asked.  
  
Hermione didn't answer and was still crying.  
  
"Well then why are you crying if you don't know what it means?" Ron said with a hint of anger.  
  
Hermione just shook her head.  
  
"It could mean that he killed that evil son-of-a-bitch." Ron said with a shaky voice.  
  
"Ron," Meagan said timidly, "If something bad happened, wouldn't it be empty like that too?"  
  
When Meagan saw the look on Ron's face she was sorry that she had asked it.  
  
Ron became very angry at this and walked over and punched the mirror causing it to crack.  
  
"You two are ridiculous! Just a boat-load of hope you both are!" Ron said as he stormed out of the common room. He had only made it a few steps out of the portrait hole when he started crying.  
  
The sun had been up for an hour or so and Ron decided to take a walk outside to try and get his mind off of things. He also needed to get all of this crying out of his system because he refused to let the two girls seeing him this way. He sat under a tree overlooking the Quidditch field and wiped his eyes dry. He told himself that he wasn't going to cry about this again and it was foolish not to hold out hope that his best friend would be okay. But it was really killing him because there wasn't anything he could do about it. Ron saw Hagrid walking up to the castle and he ran down to meet him.  
  
Hagrid told Ron that Dumbledore had sent him an owl asking him to come up to his office immediately. Hagrid has already been told that Harry had gotten Hermione back to the castle and that he was going to face Voldemort alone, so he didn't need to ask Ron why his eyes looked red and swollen.  
  
The two of them walked silently up to Dumbledore's office and when they walked up the steps they saw Dumbledore with a more somber look than either one of them had ever seen before.  
  
Hagrid hurried towards him.  
  
"Professor? You alright?" Hagrid asked.  
  
"Hagrid, please sit down."  
  
"Professor, do I need to wait outside?" Ron asked.  
  
"No Mr. Weasley, you need to hear this as well." Dumbledore said.  
  
Professor Dumbledore looked at them both for a second and then pulled his glasses off of his face and sat them down on his desk.  
  
"Dobby led Sirius to the underground palace where Voldemort and his followers were hiding. When he got there, Harry was already in danger, but there was enough chaos that he was able to retrieve him and bring him back to the castle." Dumbledore said.  
  
Ron's eyes lit up immediately. "He's back here?"  
  
"Yes Mr. Weasley."  
  
"Where is he? Is he back in the common room?" Ron said with a large smile on his face.  
  
"Mr. Weasley, when Sirius found him Harry was already badly injured." Dumbledore stopped and rubbed his eyes and then took a deep breath before he spoke again.  
  
"Ronald, Harry might not recover from his injuries." Dumbledore said.  
  
Hagrid and Ron were both in shock. Neither one of them could take their eyes off of Professor Dumbledore.  
  
Hagrid cleared his throat and tried to straighten up his face and then worked up the courage to talk.  
  
"Professor, are you telling us... that Harry might die?"  
  
"That is a possibility I am afraid to say."  
  
Hagrid tried to keep a straight face but the effort made his entire head begin to shake. He then looked over at Ron and when their eyes met both had to look away quickly.  
  
Hagrid then mustered up some more courage and cleared his throat again. "Can we go...and see him?"  
  
"His condition isn't good Hagrid. Madam Pomfrey is doing what she can for him right now, but perhaps later you all may be permitted to visit him."  
  
Ron now had his face in his hands and was crying. Hagrid was having a hard time holding his composure as well.  
  
"Ronald, why don't you go down and inform Hermione. I need to send a letter to his Aunt and Uncle." Dumbledore said.  
  
Ron pulled his hands away from his face and wiped the tears out of his eyes as he stared at Professor Dumbledore. He then nodded at him and stood up and walked out of the office.  
  
When Hagrid heard that Ron had made it out of the office he asked Dumbledore another question.  
  
"What are his chances Professor?"  
  
"Hagrid, as to that I don't have any idea. One can not estimate things of this nature" He said.  
  
"Professor, if he doesn't make it, please... promise me that you'll kill that bloody useless waste of a..."  
  
"Hagrid, it doesn't do anyone any good to talk that way. Harry is still with us. Now if you will, can you go to the Hospital Wing and try to convince Sirius to get some rest?"  
  
Hagrid stared at the ceiling for a second and then looked back down at the Professor and nodded. He then walked out of the office.  
  
As bad as Ron wanted to run to the Hospital Wing to see Harry, he knew that he wouldn't be allowed in. He also knew that he needed to go tell Hermione.  
  
Megan and Hermione were still on the couch and were talking silently when Ron came in. They looked at Ron and could tell that he had been crying.  
  
Hermione spoke up right away. "Ron, we're really sorry. You were right, we shouldn't talk like that. Harry's probably going to be fine."  
  
Meagan nodded in agreement.  
  
Hermione knew that something else was wrong.  
  
"Ron," she said quietly, "what is it?"  
  
"It's Harry." Ron said with a quivering voice. "Sirius brought him back. He's in the hospital wing."  
  
"Is he.. okay Ron?" Hermione asked softly.  
  
Ron tried to stay strong, but he couldn't. He broke down but kept talking anyway.  
  
"He's..hurt...really bad. Professor...said that..he might...might. not. make it."  
  
Hermione started crying and Meagan put her arm around her.  
  
Ron walked over to them and sat next to Meagan and leaned in and hugged them both. All three cried together for a minute or so until Hermione finally wiped her eyes.  
  
"Can we..can we go ..see him Ron?"  
  
Ron wiped his eyes and shook his head. "Madam Pomfrey won't let us see him. Professor Dumbledore said he's not doing very well."  
  
Hermione buried her head on Meagan's shoulder again and started crying. After a few seconds she got up and ran up to her dorm room.  
  
Ron leaned in and started crying on Meagan's shoulder. "I can't lose him Meagan. He's my best friend, I just can't lose him."  
  
Hagrid walked into the Hospital Wing to find Sirius staring out of the window. Sirius didn't even realize that Hagrid had walked into the room until Hagrid loudly cleared his throat.  
  
Sirius turned around with a glazed look on his face.  
  
"Hello Hagrid."  
  
"How's he doing Sirius?"  
  
"Not good Hagrid. Madam Pomfrey is working on cleaning him up, but he lost a lot of blood and the effort he gave tonight may have been too much."  
  
Hagrid nodded his head then sniffed loudly.  
  
"Will we get to see him soon?" Hagrid asked.  
  
"I don't know Hagrid. You don't want to see him right now anyway. He doesn't look good."  
  
Hagrid began to shake and sat himself in a chair and stared at the floor.  
  
"Hagrid," Sirius said turning to face him. "I want to thank you for everything you've done for him. You got him safely out of the house that night when Voldemort killed Lilly and James. You made sure he got here to school okay, and you've been a real friend to him all these years, and I want to thank you Hagrid. You've really meant a lot to him." Sirius said extending his hand to Sirius.  
  
Hagrid stood up and shook Sirius' hand. He then pulled him into a hug and the two embraced.  
  
"He'll make it Sirius. He'll make it. If anyone can make it through this, it's Harry."  
  
"I hope so Hagrid. I don't think I can live with myself if he doesn't."  
  
They both sat down and stared at nothing for several minutes before Hagrid spoke again.  
  
"Sirius, you need to get some sleep. We might have some long nights ahead of us. Why don't ya hold down one of the beds over there and when Madam Pomfrey comes in, I'll wake ya."  
  
"I don't think I can sleep Hagrid, but I think I might give it a try."  
  
And Sirius did. It wasn't long after he lay down on the bed, when his body gave way to the exhaustion from the last several days.  
  
He was woken by Madam Pomfrey who was restocking a cabinet with some supplies. She saw that he had sat up in the bed and rushed over to him.  
  
"Take this Mr. Black. You need more rest as well." She said handing him a small cup that had a strange liquid in it.  
  
"What is this?" Sirius said.  
  
"It will help with your nerves. You've been going too long without sleep, if you don't get more tonight, I'll get the Headmaster to give me permission to slip you a sleeping draught."  
  
Sirius drank the liquid and made an awful face from its taste.  
  
"How's he doing?" Sirius asked her.  
  
"We won't know for some time. I've patched up the cuts all over his body, and whatever burned his arm and shoulder did it so badly that there was hardly any skin left. That will take some time to heal properly." She said.  
  
Sirius didn't know about the burn, he was too caught up in the fact that his body had been very bloody when he was carrying him out of there.  
  
"There isn't anything anyone can do now, but wait. Please get some rest, tomorrow morning if he's still stable, I'll let you and the others visit him for a short time."  
  
Sirius just stared at her and nodded. He didn't know what else to do but wait. He was going to get up, but whatever she gave him to drink seemed to make his body think otherwise. It wasn't long before he was in a deep sleep again.  
  
It was getting close to dinner and Hermione still hadn't come down from her dorm room. She had stayed up there alone all day and Ron and Meagan figured that she probably needed the time alone.  
  
"Can you go up and see if she wants to come for dinner?" Ron asked Meagan.  
  
"Sure."  
  
Meagan walked into the room to find Hermione lying on her bed looking through one of her old photo albums.  
  
"You okay?" she asked Hermione.  
  
"Yeah, I was just looking through some of our first year pictures. Come over here and look at Ron and Harry." She said smiling through her puffy eyes.  
  
"Okay." Meagan said smiling.  
  
"But don't look at me. My hair is awful and my teeth. oh no." she said putting her hand over her face in the picture.  
  
Meagan smiled as she sat next to Hermione on the bed and watched her peel through the photo album. She couldn't believe how much Harry and Ron had grown over the last few years.  
  
"This was just before Christmas." Hermione said pointing to one of the photos of Harry, Ron and Hermione waving at them and all smiling.  
  
She turned the page.  
  
"This was after we beat Slytherin in Quidditch." She said tapping the picture.  
  
It was a picture of all of them out by the Quidditch field, and Harry still had the Snitch in his hand with Ron, Hermione and George all hanging off his neck.  
  
Hermione closed the book and started crying and leaned into Meagan's shoulder.  
  
"He has to be okay Meagan. He has to get better."  
  
"Hermione, he will. You just have to believe that he will...that's all."  
  
Hermione wiped her eyes and reached over for a handkerchief and blew her nose.  
  
"Hermione, Ron and I are going to the Great Hall for dinner. Will you come with us?"  
  
"I'm not hungry. You guys go ahead."  
  
"Hermione, come down with us. You don't have to eat anything, but at least you can see Hagrid and have some pumpkin juice or something."  
  
Hermione went over to her mirror and brushed her hair. "Look at me, I'm a mess."  
  
Meagan smiled at her. "We all are Hermione. Don't worry."  
  
They walked down and met Ron who was waiting for them, and then all walked into the Great Hall. They got there to find Hagrid, Dumbledore, Lupin, and Meagan's mother sitting down at one of the house tables.  
  
"You three come and join us." Dumbledore said as he stood up and waited for them to walk toward them.  
  
They all sat down and began to lightly pick at their food. Hagrid's eyes were swollen just as bad as Hermione's and he wasn't eating either.  
  
"You okay there Hermione?" Hagrid asked.  
  
"Yeah, I guess. Are you doing okay?"  
  
"Getting by. Why don't you and Ron come over tomorrow morning and see Fang. He'd be glad to see ya and we can have some tea."  
  
"Okay Hagrid." Hermione said as she looked at Ron who nodded back at her.  
  
There wasn't much conversation that night as they all ate dinner. Most of it was useless small talk to help kill the tough silence. All of their minds were on Harry. The tension could be cut with a knife as they all just went through the motions; waiting and hoping.  
  
- - -  
  
Harry found himself walking down by the Quidditch field. It was empty, and he didn't have his broom, but he was still enjoying being down there. He walked over to one of the small bleachers and sat down at the first row and began looking at the hoops on each end. It found himself instinctively glancing around looking for the Snitch, although he doubted that it was there. When he pulled himself out of the gaze he noticed that someone had sat down beside him.  
  
He almost fell backwards when he saw who it was.....it was his dad.  
  
There was no mistaking his hair, his glasses and the smile he had on his face. Harry had stared at picture after picture that he had of his parents and had memorized every feature of their faces.  
  
"Hello Harry."  
  
Harry had a look of awe on his face and couldn't answer him right away.  
  
"I really miss playing Quidditch. Some of the best times I ever had in my life were out here on this field." His dad said starting up at the goal posts.  
  
"Dad.. what are you doing here? How am I talking to you right now?" Harry asked.  
  
"You're hurt pretty bad Harry. You're here because you've left the last state of consciousness of your world."  
  
Harry stared at him for a second and tried to digest what he had said. "Does that mean I'm going to die?" Harry asked.  
  
"I'm not sure Harry. I don't have all of the answers for you, I'm sorry."  
  
"Dad, can't I just stay here with you?"  
  
Harry's dad smiled at him and then put his hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Harry, I don't think it's time for you to do that yet. You're only just a teenager. You have so many great things you have left to experience; and or course more Quidditch." he said pointing up to the field and smiling.  
  
Harry didn't look up at the field again. He couldn't take his eyes off of his dad.  
  
"Harry do you know what the happiest day of my life was?" he asked.  
  
Harry thought about it for a quick second, "The day you and Mom were married."  
  
"That was a great day yes, but that wasn't it. It was the day that you were born. I've never been more full of emotion than that day. I was terrified, overjoyed, and a nervous wreck. I couldn't sleep for the first week after we had you. I was driving Lilly crazy saying things like 'what if he can already apparate and we wake up and can't find him'. I swear she almost threw me out of the house." He said laughing.  
  
Harry was smiling as well and it wasn't just from what his dad was saying. It was just the fact that he was hearing his dad speak and actually having a conversation with him. He still couldn't believe that it was happening.  
  
"Harry we are so proud of you. Look at you, look at what you've done, look at the friends you've made. Look at all of the lives you've touched. That doesn't need to stop."  
  
Harry stared down at the ground for a second and then back up to his dad.  
  
"So what you're saying is that I have a choice. I can go back, or...I can go with you." Harry asked.  
  
His dad looked at him and smiled. "Yes, son. And it's your choice to make."  
  
- - -  
  
After dinner, they all went back to the common room, and then shortly after, went to bed. Hermione asked Ron if he wanted to sleep in their dorm room so he wouldn't be in his room alone, without Harry, but he refused. The truth is that he'd been doing his best to control his emotions, and if he wasn't able to do it anymore, he didn't want them around to see it.  
  
That night was one of the longest that Hermione and Ron had ever experienced at Hogwarts. They couldn't eat, they couldn't sleep, and their best friend wasn't there with them. It was very difficult, but it didn't last forever.  
  
The next morning the three were all up early and went into the Great Hall for some juice and a piece of toast. When they got there, they were surprised to see Madam Pomfrey talking to Meagan's mom up at the staff table.  
  
Hermione ran up to her and interrupted them.  
  
"How is Harry doing?" Hermione asked loudly.  
  
Madam Pomfrey looked a bit flustered, but she answered her anyway. "He's stable Miss Granger. After breakfast if you and your friends want to see him, I'll permit it, but only one at a time, and no more than a few minutes each." She said sternly.  
  
Hermione smiled and clapped her hands quickly and then ran back down to Ron and the others and told them the news. That morning they all had a good breakfast and spirits were a bit higher since they knew they'd be getting to see Harry soon.  
  
- - -  
  
Harry sat on the bleachers and stared back up at the Quidditch field for several minutes before he spoke to his dad again.  
  
"Dad, I'm not sure I want to go back." Harry said.  
  
"You have a lot to go back to though, Harry." His dad said.  
  
"Dad the thing I've wanted more than anything else in my life is to have you and Mom back, and now I have that chance, how can I not take it?"  
  
"It's been hard for you Harry, being alone all that time, I know. We blame ourselves for that." He said.  
  
"Why would you blame yourselves? It was Voldemort."  
  
"Harry I know, but when we think back on it, Lilly and me thought of ourselves as your last line of defense. We assumed that if we were killed, you probably would have been too. We never thought about the possibility of you being left alone without us. That was something we never wanted to do. When we knew he was coming for you, we actually thought about hiding you away in an orphanage, but the thought of you being alone, was too much for us to think about. We knew you'd probably be safer that way, but we never wanted you alone. But it happened anyway."  
  
He stood up and walked in front of Harry and turned to face him.  
  
"Harry you've got so much to go back to. You've got unbelievable friends, you've got Sirius, plus Harry, they are going to need you."  
  
Harry looked away from his dad and put his head in his hands, then quickly looked back up.  
  
"What if I'm tired of fighting dad? What if I just want to leave this entire thing behind?"  
  
"Harry I know you've been through a lot. They've hurt you and the ones you care for and no one could ever ask you to have to go through what you've been through. But if you leave it Harry, you'll also be leaving all of them; the ones that care for you, the ones who have fought for you."  
  
Harry jumped in. "The ones that have died for me, though dad. You and mom and the others, I can't live with that anymore. And there will probably be more that die too."  
  
Harry got up and walked out on the field. His mind was racing as it never had before.  
  
His father followed him walking closely behind.  
  
Harry turned back around, "Do you know how many times I've wished that I would have died that night with you and mom? I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't want to be famous, I didn't want this scar, or this power, or to have all of these people fighting and getting hurt because they're my friends."  
  
"Harry, that's what friendship is all about. That's what love is all about. This is my point Harry, there is a lot you still have to learn. You have come further than anyone could have ever imagined. You have no idea how proud of you I am! I am the proudest father in the world. Your mother is very proud of you too. We both love you so much and we could have never imagined that you would have ever accomplished so much in such a short time. But you have to keep going Harry. There is still a lot to be done."  
  
As his dad stopped talking, Harry did something that he had imagined doing his whole life.  
  
He hugged his dad.  
  
It was the happiest moment of his life. He had been hugged before, but this one was so much different. This was the best hug of his life. He squeezed his dad tighter than he had ever squeezed anyone. He had his head on his dad's shoulder and he wished that it would never end.  
  
- - -  
  
Hermione and Ron went to the hospital wing while Meagan went on a walk with her mom. Meagan wanted to give them both some time alone. When they got to the Hospital Wing, they saw Sirius sitting up in one of the small beds. They could both tell right away that he looked like a different person from the good night's sleep that he had received the night before.  
  
"Good morning you two." Sirius said climbing out of the bed and stretching.  
  
"Hello Sirius." Ron said.  
  
"Good morning." Hermione said. "Have you been in to see Harry this morning?"  
  
"Not yet Hermione. Madam Pomfrey ..accidentally gave me something yesterday to help me sleep. I've been out the whole time."  
  
"You needed it," Hermione said plainly, "You look so much better now."  
  
"Thanks Hermione, I feel better. Is she going to let you guys see Harry today?"  
  
"Yeah, here in a few minutes I think." Ron said.  
  
"So you went in and got him?" Ron asked Sirius.  
  
"Yes Ron, Dobby knew where that palace was. I found Harry just in time."  
  
"Was he hurt badly?" Hermione asked. "No one's really told us anything."  
  
Sirius looked at them both deciding whether or not he should try to sugar coat Harry's condition, but he knew that it would have been wrong to do so.  
  
"It was pretty bad. Harry...was beat up pretty bad. He also has a bad burn on his arm and shoulder, and he was..he had.cuts all over his body."  
  
Hermione and Ron both looked at the floor and didn't say anything.  
  
"I'd be willing to bet that Madam Pomfrey has done a good job cleaning him up though." Sirius added.  
  
He could tell that Hermione was a bit rattled. He second guessed whether or not he should have been so descriptive.  
  
Madam Pomfrey came in and smiled at the fact that they were all eagerly waiting her arrival.  
  
"Okay, remember just a few minutes, and just one at a time." She said surveying them all.  
  
Ron and Hermione both looked at one another waiting for the other to say something.  
  
Hermione finally spoke up. "Why don't you go first Ron."  
  
He looked at her and nodded, then walked into to the room to see his friend.  
  
As he walked in, he tried to prepare himself, but when he saw Harry lying there, he felt his stomach drop. The covers were pulled up all the way to the base of his chest and both of his arms were under them.  
  
Ron walked up beside the bed and stared at Harry's face. He didn't get to see Harry without his glasses very often. He could also tell that Harry had been beat up pretty badly. He face was swollen and covered in small cuts and there were some large cuts on his neck as well. Ron quietly sat in the chair beside his bed and for a few minutes listened to the sound of his best friend's breath.  
  
Ron began crying silently, and did his best to make himself stop before he spoke.  
  
"Harry.. You have to get better. You've got to fight through this. I can't be the only one getting bossed around by Hermione. Please." He said trying to stop himself from crying.  
  
He didn't speak anymore. He just sat there and rested his head on the bed until he heard the door open behind him. He wiped his eyes and looked to see who it was.  
  
It was Hermione. When she saw Ron sitting beside Harry like that, she immediately started crying.  
  
Ron got up out of the chair and went over to her and gave her a hug.  
  
"He's going to pull through this Hermione. Please go tell him he's going to pull through this." Ron said with his voice cracking again.  
  
Ron let go of her and walked out of the room.  
  
Hermione just stood there and looked at Harry lying there. He looked so vulnerable.  
  
She slowly walked up to the bed and rubbed his forehead gently.  
  
"Harry. Please get better. If anyone can do it, I know you can. Please get better.for me. I have to have you here Harry. You can't leave me here alone."  
  
She then sat down in the chair and put her head down on the bed and began to cry again.  
  
"Harry, I love you." Hermione said quickly. She then got up and ran out of the room.  
  
Sirius and Ron watched as she came running out of the room and kept running past them out of the Hospital Wing.  
  
"She's taking this pretty hard isn't she?" Sirius asked.  
  
Ron just nodded and stared back down at the floor.  
  
- - -  
  
Harry stood there on the Quidditch field with his dad and stared up at the hoops. He was caught up in the hardest decision he'd ever been faced with in his life. He was so tired of the pain, the sorrow and the evil that had become so intertwined in his life, that he wanted so badly to just go with his dad and meet his mother. He longed for this his entire life. He had never known what it was like to come home and get hugged by his parents, or to be out on the Quidditch field and have his parents cheering him on in the stands, or to get the chance to introduce Ron and Hermione to them both.  
  
"Harry, I know you want to come with me, and your mom and I can't wait for us all to be together again, but you aren't finished living your life. I know things are hard for you, but you aren't alone, and I think you know what the right thing to do is Harry."  
  
Harry just looked over at him and then back at the ground.  
  
"I'll give you some time to think Harry," his dad said.  
  
Harry knew that going back wouldn't be easy. He knew that he had people waiting for him, but everything he had ever wished for in his life was standing just a few meters away from him, and it waiting to welcome him home.  
  
- - -  
  
Hermione and Ron finally met up later that night in the common room. Each had pretty much gone their separate ways to think, cry and hope on their own. They both now seemed to be a bit more at peace after seeing Harry. They were sitting down in the common room after dinner, when Hedwig came flying in and perched down beside them. She wasn't carrying a letter. It was almost as though she could tell that something was wrong with Harry.  
  
Hermione looked over to Ron and then to Hedwig.  
  
"You think she's looking for Harry?"  
  
"Maybe." Ron said. "Hedwig, Harry's in the Hospital Wing getting better. He'll probably be back in a few days girl."  
  
Hedwig didn't move and just hooted softly still staring at them both.  
  
"Maybe she wants something." Ron said.  
  
"I'll go get her some of her owl treats she likes so much." Hermione said as she walked up to the boy's dorm room.  
  
She went through Harry's desk and couldn't find them, so she decided to see if his chest was locked. It wasn't. She opened it slowly and looked inside. She saw his invisibility cloak and a few books that were underneath it. Near the bottom, she saw a bag of the owl treats from Eeylops. As she was pulling it out, she found a letter that had her name on it. She put the owl treats behind her and took out the letter. It was from Harry and her name was written on the outside of it.  
  
Hermione hesitated from opening it. What if he had never intended her to read it? But.. what if he just never got around to giving it to her?  
  
She carefully opened the letter and began to read it. - - - Dear Hermione,  
  
If you are reading this, something terrible happened to me, but please know that I am still very happy that you are in fact reading this letter. This means that you were able to get away from Voldemort alive.  
  
First of all I don't want you to feel sad about me being gone. I am probably with my parents now and you know how happy that would make me. When I wrote this letter I wasn't sure if I'd ever get to see you again so I was trying to think of the things I would say knowing it would be the last time I ever got to say anything to you. The truth is that there isn't enough parchment on Earth for me to say everything I want to say to you. You know how much you've meant to me these past several years and I hope you do understand that I could have never made it this far without you. I want to ask to you take care of Hedwig for me. She always seemed to like you, and Ron already has an owl. If you don't think that you can take care of her, then give her to Hagrid. I know she'd have a good time there with him and she'd get to hunt in the forest.  
  
You know how brilliant you are Hermione, you don't need me to tell you that, but I hope you also know how brave, how courageous, and how beautiful you are. I love you very much and I am proud to have had you as my friend. I wish I had more time because there are so many things I want to tell you.  
  
Please take care of Ron and make sure he keeps working on his keeper skills, I think he'll easily make the team.  
  
Harry  
  
- - -  
  
Hermione sat there and read the letter over and over again and didn't even realize that she had been crying the whole time she was reading it.  
  
Ron walked in behind her and was about to ask her what had been taking her so long when he saw her holding the letter.  
  
"Hermione, you weren't supposed to read that unless.."  
  
"I know." She said sniffing loudly as she interrupted him.  
  
Ron leaned down and helped Hermione get to her feet. They then shared a hug and she continued to cry on his shoulder. The letter never left her hand.  
  
- - -  
  
Harry walked over to where his dad was standing and couldn't help but smile. The decision he had to make was a difficult one, but regardless, this had been one of the happiest moments of his life. Seeing his father, face to face, and talking with him, getting advice from him, getting a hug from him, was something that he had desired his whole life.  
  
"Dad, you know I want to go with you more than anything. In fact I have never wanted anything more in my whole life."  
  
"I know you do Harry."  
  
"But you also know that I can't right?" Harry asked him.  
  
"You can Harry, but you won't, and I do understand. It's the right decision Harry, you have your life to live, and as much as we'd love to be a part of it, that can wait. We'll be here waiting for you."  
  
Harry and his dad embraced again.  
  
"I am so proud of you son. You are a very powerful wizard Harry and you're only going to improve."  
  
"Thanks dad." Harry said as they pulled away from their embrace.  
  
"I wish your mother could have come with me," he said.  
  
"Dad, I won't get to talk to you anymore will I?" Harry asked.  
  
"No son. You won't."  
  
"Dad, this has been one of the happiest days of my life."  
  
"For me as well Harry." He said smiling.  
  
Harry suddenly became aware of the pain in his shoulder. His whole body began aching as she opened his eyes to darkness. He could tell by the smell in the room that he was probably in the hospital wing and it was late at night. His whole body was hurting. He tried to say something but didn't have the strength.  
  
It wasn't long before he passed out from the effort.  
  
The next morning Hagrid was allowed in to visit Harry. He brought his flute with him and decided that the music might help Harry heal faster. Madam Pomfrey objected at first but then allowed it under the condition that he wouldn't play it too loudly.  
  
Hagrid lightly patted Harry on the head and then began to play softly. It was a peaceful tune and it was one of the first Hagrid had ever learned to play. He got through about thirty seconds of it, when he saw Harry partially open his eyes.  
  
Hagrid almost spit the flute out of his mouth.  
  
"Harry, you're awake!" Hagrid said softly.  
  
Harry heard Hagrid's voice but he was disoriented and since he didn't have his glasses, his vision was bad as well. He just blinked his eyes a few times trying to clear his vision.  
  
"Harry, it's me Hagrid! Tell me you can hear me Harry."  
  
Harry tried to talk but all that came out was scratchy air. Right about that time Madam Pomfrey came into the room to see what was going on.  
  
"Oh my! Look who's awake!" she said smiling.  
  
She went over to a sink and poured a glass of water, and put a pinch of powder of some sort inside of it. She then walked back over to Harry and grabbed a pillow off of one of the other beds and propped it up behind his head so that he was sitting up partially.  
  
"You need to try to drink some of this sweetie." She said loudly to Harry.  
  
Every bone in Harry's body ached. Even his hair felt like it was hurting him, and his throat felt like someone had poured sand down it.  
  
Madam Pomfrey put her hand behind his head and helped him lean up a bit more so that he could take a drink of the liquid.  
  
Harry felt the water touch his lips and then felt the cold liquid go down his throat. It felt great. After a second large swallow he had some of his voice back.  
  
"Harry! You're back!" Hagrid said again.  
  
"Hello Hagrid." Harry said with a whispery and raspy voice.  
  
Hagrid looked as though he had just been given a hundred dragon eggs.  
  
"We were worried about you Harry. You gave us quite a scare." Madam Pomfrey said feeding him another drink.  
  
Hagrid had silent tears coming down his face and disappearing into his beard.  
  
"Don't try to do too much. You've been through a lot dear. Just hold this and try to drink the rest of it." Madam Pomfrey said.  
  
Hagrid stood up quickly. "I need to tell the others that you're awake. Everyone's been worried sick about you."  
  
"Thanks Hagrid." Harry said softly.  
  
"They aren't allowed to come in here yet! He needs rest!" Madam Pomfrey said sternly.  
  
Ron, Hermione and Meagan were down at the Quidditch field flying around when they heard a loud high-pitched yell come from up at the castle.  
  
"What was that?" Hermione asked the others.  
  
"Sounded like Hagrid!" Ron said.  
  
"Let's go." Hermione said flying quickly towards the castle.  
  
Ron and Meagan followed.  
  
When they got close, it didn't take them long to see that Hagrid had a large smile on his face and had his arms risen in the air in triumph.  
  
"Hagrid! What's going on?" Ron yelled.  
  
"It's Harry! It's Harry! He's awake!" Hagrid yelled doing a small dance with this hands still flying wildly in the air.  
  
Hermione almost fell off her broom. She had barley touched the ground as tears of joy started flowing down her face. In a matter of a few seconds she felt Ron wrap his arms around her, Meagan joined in, and then Hagrid's large tree-trunk-like arms engulfed them all.  
  
"I knew it!" Hagrid yelled with his voice breaking in tears. "Knew he'd be alright. I was up there playing my flute for him and he opened his eyes. He told me hello and I knew he was going to make it."  
  
Hermione couldn't say anything. She just let the hugs hold her up on her feet. 


	32. Family

Chapter 32 - Family  
  
The rest of the day Harry was forced to drink different potions from Madam Pomfrey. She fed him one to help with his pain, one to help heal the burns, one to help with his strength, and a few others that she really didn't tell Harry any specifics on, but he drank them anyway.  
  
Madam Pomfrey still wasn't allowing visitors and Harry was grateful. His chest and throat both hurt badly, so talking wasn't a comfortable activity for him yet, but it was getting better.  
  
Later that afternoon in the common room, Ron, Hermione, and Meagan were the happiest people in the world, especially Ron and Hermione. Aside from mentioning Harry and wondering when they'd get to see him, the talk had resumed to OWLs for Hermione and Meagan, and Quidditch for Ron.  
  
The mood was brighter around dinner as well. Dumbledore, Sirius, Hagrid, and Lupin were sharing stories of funny past events with Professor Livingston. They were all filling her in since she'd been gone and sharing stories about the locations of some of her old classmates and friends. Hermione and Ron had their appetites back too and smiles never left either one of their faces the entire night as they chatted away about different things.  
  
The next morning they were all up early and after breakfast they met back in the common room. Ron was planning on going up to the Hospital wing to ask Madam Pomfrey when they'd be able to see Harry.  
  
"Make her let you in Ron," Hermione said with her bossy voice, "I'm sure Harry wants to see you, and I'm sure he's getting bored just lying up there in bed."  
  
"Actually it does get boring up there."  
  
It was Harry. He didn't have his glasses on and he spoke with a scratchy voice and he was still in his hospital pajamas but he had come into the common room without any of them noticing it.  
  
"Harry!" Ron said turning around quickly.  
  
Harry put up his hands to stop Ron from charging over him.  
  
"Easy Ron!" Harry said smiling. "I'm still hurting pretty bad so don't try and hug me or anything."  
  
It was hard for Ron not to give him a big bear hug, but he restrained himself. Instead he stuck out his arm and the two shook hands.  
  
"It's good to see you mate. We were worried sick." Ron said.  
  
Harry smiled at him, and then at Hermione who was standing behind Ron.  
  
"Hello Hermione." Harry said.  
  
Hermione had silent tears coming down her face and she slowly approached Harry. Harry reached up and wiped away one of her tears, and then put his good arm around her and gave her a hug.  
  
She couldn't say anything and Harry didn't need to say anything. They just held on to one another and Ron stood back and watched with a huge smile on his face. Meagan was still sitting in a chair, but she had tears streaming down her face too.  
  
Hermione let go of Harry as soon as she knew that the hug was hurting him.  
  
"What are you doing out of the Hospital Wing?" she asked him.  
  
"Madam Pomfrey said it would be okay if I took a short walk to try to get my blood all flowing again. I don't think I was supposed to come this far, but I came anyway." Harry said.  
  
Hermione wiped her eyes and then walked over to one of the large sofas.  
  
"Come over and sit down. Where are you glasses?" Hermione said.  
  
They could tell by how slowly Harry walked and the cringe on his face when he sat down that he was still in a lot of pain.  
  
"I'm not sure where my glasses are. Hagrid's going to go to Diagon Alley to get me a new pair."  
  
Harry saw by the looks on their faces that they were very concerned about him.  
  
"I'll be okay. Just a bit beat up. And my arm and shoulder's got burns."  
  
"Harry, maybe you should get back to the Hospital Wing. It might not be good for you to be out like this," Hermione said worriedly.  
  
"He just got here Hermione." Ron said.  
  
"Yeah Ron, but he's still getting better." Hermione snapped back.  
  
"It's okay Ron. She's right. I'll be in trouble as it is. I was supposed to be back after a few minutes but I just had to come and see you all." Harry said smiling.  
  
"We're coming up to see you later." Ron said.  
  
"Okay good, I'll try to make sure she let's you all in. Hermione, will you walk me back?"  
  
"Of course." Hermione said smiling as she helped him up from the sofa.  
  
Meagan and Ron said their goodbyes and Hermione and Harry walked slowly back to the Hospital Wing.  
  
"Harry, we were so worried about you. Sirius was sick with worry. He said you looked terrible when he found you."  
  
"I felt terrible. If he wouldn't have found me when he did, I'd be dead now. I held them off as long as I could, but they were just too strong."  
  
"Harry, I thought I'd lost you. No one knew if you were going to be okay. Madam Pomfrey let us go in and see you yesterday, and I cried when I saw you."  
  
"Hermione, when I get better I'll tell you more about what happened."  
  
Hermione looked at him and didn't say anything, but she knew that whatever had happened to him was probably terrible.  
  
"Harry, if you don't want to talk about it, you don't ever have to tell me. I won't ask you to do that."  
  
Harry just smiled at her. "I know Hermione."  
  
They were getting close to the Hospital Wing when Hermione walked in front of Harry.  
  
"Harry, thank you for coming to get me. I could have never imagined that anyone could be that brave, but you came for me Harry. Even though they could have killed you, you came for me."  
  
"Hermione, it was my fault that you were there in the first place."  
  
"No Harry, it wasn't your fault. I knew the risks of being up there."  
  
"You mean the risk of just being my friend?" Harry asked seriously.  
  
"Especially the risk of being your friend. Harry, if I had it to do again, I wouldn't do anything different. Some people never go through life having a friend like you, but I'm lucky. Don't you know how safe I feel with you?"  
  
"I don't know how you can feel safe with someone trying to kill me all the time." Harry said jokingly.  
  
"Harry, I feel safe because I know you won't let anything happen to me. You'd die for me Harry and I want you to know that I would die for you too." Hermione said trying to fight back tears.  
  
Harry leaned in and kissed her. It was a passionate kiss and was about to go down in the record books but they were interrupted by Madam Pomfrey.  
  
"Harry! Where on Earth have you been? Get in here and back in your bed." Madam Pomfrey said.  
  
Hermione was embarrassed and didn't follow him in.  
  
"Harry, we'll come to see you later." Hermione said.  
  
"Okay." Harry said smiling at her.  
  
Later that evening Harry was visited by Hagrid, Sirius, Lupin, Professor Livingston, Ron, Hermione, Meagan and Hedwig who flew in the open window and nipped Harry's hand quickly before she was chased out by Madam Pomfrey. Harry was really tired from all of his visitors, but he loved seeing them all.  
  
Soon after sunset, Madam Pomfrey chased everyone out and Harry was on his way to a really well deserved night's rest. He was all alone in the large room with only a few dimly lit torches and it was very peaceful. He was just in the process of dozing off when Hedwig came flying into the room again and perched on a lamp that was on the table right beside the bed. Harry smiled when he saw her and sat up in the bed so that he could lean over and scratch her under her wing.  
  
"Hello girl." Harry said smiling. "You missed me didn't you?"  
  
She hooted softly and nibbled on his hand affectionately as he scratched her.  
  
Finally she lifted her leg and Harry saw that she had a note attached to it. He still didn't have his glasses so it was hard for him to see the writing. He pulled it closer to his face, and it took him a while, but he was able to read it.  
  
It was from Hermione. - - - Harry,  
  
Thank you for letting me walk with you today, I was so glad to see you. I didn't get to tell you today Harry, but I was looking for some owl treats for Hedwig and I found the letter you wrote for me. I know I wasn't supposed to read it, but I couldn't help it. I want to thank you for everything you said in that letter. At the time it was really painful to read but now that you are okay I consider it the most beautiful letter ever written. Sleep well tonight and remember how much you are loved by everyone, but especially by me.  
  
Love,  
  
Hermione  
  
- - -  
  
Harry smiled at the letter and folded it up and hid inside a book that he had been reading. He took a few more minutes to pet Hedwig before she finally took off out of the window.  
  
Harry was reaching to turn the lamp down when he noticed someone standing at the foot of this bed.  
  
"Good evening Harry."  
  
"Professor Dumbledore!" Harry said.  
  
"I see you are feeling much better. You had us so worried Harry."  
  
Harry felt very guilty all of a sudden as he watched Professor Dumbledore walk beside his bed and sit down in the chair.  
  
"Professor, I'm sorry about the other day. I should have never talked to you and Sirius like that. I should have been a lot more level headed."  
  
Professor Dumbledore smiled at him. "Harry, no one can blame you for what you did. I would have done the same thing had I been in your shoes."  
  
Hearing this made Harry feel so much better. He had so many new questions for Dumbledore. He didn't even know where to start.  
  
"Professor, when I got there, Voldemort didn't fight me sir. He made his Death Eaters do it, one by one. Some of them I hurt really bad and he just smiled when I did it."  
  
Professor Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and looked at the ceiling before a smile came over his face.  
  
"Harry, many years ago just shortly after I became Headmaster here at Hogwarts, Riddle came to seek me out. Back then not everyone knew who Voldemort was, and Riddle figured he could make his name as Voldemort by killing me off and taking over the school. He brought a few of his followers with him, all of them younger, but very powerful wizards, around his age, who were in Slytherin with him. They came up to see me in my office. Now, I knew their intentions Harry, you'll learn it's very easy to sense the evil in people, so they didn't catch me off guard. In the end, I had neutralized his followers and Riddle was the only wizard left. I bet you can guess what he did next Harry."  
  
Harry thought for a second, then a smile crept over his face.  
  
"He ran, didn't he?" Harry responded.  
  
"He did." Dumbledore said. "But I knew he would keep coming Harry. You have heard me say before that we are only as weak as we are divided, well the same goes for Voldemort and his followers. Our mission at the Ministry before you stopped him as a baby was more simply to stop his followers and not so much just try to stop him. We have tried to create chaos inside his numbers and it worked and continues to work. I believe that Voldemort has probably destroyed more of his own followers than we have. The point is Harry, that the world will always have their Voldemorts. There will always be those who seek out evil and it will always be the job of those who value valor, love, family and friendship to set out to stop them."  
  
Harry had a lot to soak in. He took a deep breath and then looked up at Dumbledore.  
  
"So sir, you're saying that you think Voldemort is frightened of me?" Harry asked.  
  
"I have no doubts in my mind Harry. But do not think of this as a good thing Harry. This only means that he will not fail to underestimate you again. His attempts will get more ruthless, and he will stop at nothing to hurt you and the ones you love."  
  
Harry felt his stomach drop at the last few words that came out of Dumbledore's mouth.  
  
"Sir, I can't live with myself if he hurts Hermione again. Or if he gets Ron or Sirius, or you sir."  
  
"Harry, there is a price we all pay for love and friendship. It does not come easy. This does not mean that we should give all of these things up. You were willing to risk everything for Hermione, and she was willing to do the same thing for you. Your friend Ronald, myself and Sirius would all gladly take these risks as well. You must understand Harry that in the past few years you've gone from having almost no family to being surrounded by people who love you. This will continue to grow Harry. It is for this reason that I wake up every day with a smile on my face and await the challenges that threaten these things I hold so dear."  
  
Harry felt at ease again. He knew that Dumbledore wouldn't always be there for him, and he knew that Dumbledore was constantly doing everything he could to prepare Harry for when that day came. Dumbledore left Harry that night, feeling better about the decision he had made to stay behind with them all. He knew his dad had been right. They would always be there waiting for him.  
  
Harry was allowed to leave the Hospital Wing the next day. He was still very sore, but getting back into his every day life helped him forget about the pain. That next week there was another large meeting at the castle with Moody and many of his fellow Aurors. They explained how they raided the underground base and found it abandoned as well as most of it caved in.  
  
They also had several questions for Harry and Hermione in regards to how many were there, any news on plans or any clues that might help them. Harry and Hermione gladly told them everything they could. Later that next week, there was a ceremony where Ron was given the Order of Merlin, Third Class, for his actions in saving Fudge's life against the Death Eater. His entire family came down for the presentation, including Percy who seemed very jealous the whole time watching Ron shake hands with all of the high Ministry Officials. Harry had to watch in the distance wearing his invisibility cloak. Everyone knew that Harry had deserved the highest award ever created for his actions against Voldemort and his followers and saving Hermione, but everyone decided that Harry should lay low for a while since Voldemort figured him to be dead.  
  
Harry didn't complain about this. He knew that he'd be able to relax for a few more weeks until school started up again, and then everyone would know he was still alive.  
  
The last few days before start of term, Harry was back to flying again. He and Ron took to the Quidditch field and began working on Ron's keeping skills. Meagan and Hermione did some flying too. They were both getting better on a broom, especially Meagan.  
  
Ron and Harry were taking a break watching the girls fly around while they drank some water.  
  
Ron looked at the small healing scratches on Harry's neck that were created by Voldemort's fingernails.  
  
"You back to normal yet?" Ron asked.  
  
"Normal Ron?" Harry said.  
  
"Oh you know what I mean, back to feeling healthy? You sure are flying like it." Ron said smiling.  
  
"I guess Ron." Harry said still watching Hermione fly.  
  
"Ron, now that you're a famous Order of Merlin hero, are you still going to let me be your friend?" Harry asked smiling playfully.  
  
"Oh give me a break Harry. Lockhart had the Order of Merlin, and he's still trying to figure out what his name is." Ron said throwing what was left his water bottle on Harry head.  
  
Harry laughed at him.  
  
"Okay, I got keeper now. Try to get something past me." Harry said jumping on his broom.  
  
Meagan and Hermione stopped for a second to see what the two boys were doing. They laughed as they saw Ron try to shoot goals on Harry, and Harry easily stopping them all.  
  
"You think he's going to be okay?" Meagan asked Hermione.  
  
"Harry...? I hope so," she said.  
  
"I would have never thought that anyone could go through so much." Meagan said. "I would have crumbled long ago."  
  
Hermione smiled. "Not Harry. I'm not sure anything would crumble him."  
  
Meagan saw the smile on her face as she looked over at the two of them.  
  
"You guys are like a family, you know that don't you?" Meagan said.  
  
Hermione's smile got larger. She didn't need to acknowledge this. She knew they were like a family. In fact, they were a family. She'd do anything for them, and they'd do anything for her.  
  
But the smile slowly disappeared from Hermione's face as she thought about Voldemort. She knew that it wasn't over, and that he'd come after Harry or one of them again.  
  
Hermione pulled out of her deep though as she felt the wind that was created when Meagan flew past her quickly.  
  
"Let's go down and see Hagrid!" Meagan said. "I'll race you!"  
  
Hermione took another quick glance at Harry and Ron, smiled, and then sped off towards Hagrid's cabin.  
  
THE END  
  
A/N-Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed the story so far. It's been a lot of fun. I appreciate everyone finding the typos and other mistakes and I hope that people will continue to help me find them if they exist. I hope you all have enjoyed the story. Thanks again for all of the reads! 


End file.
